Impossible Decisions
Ch.2: Welcomed Interruption
Hikaru ran over and halted to a stop in front of Eagle. Her eyes shined with happy tears, as she chocked out, "E-Eagle?!? You're awake!"
Eagle smiled down at her and nodded, his eyes warm. "Yes, I'm awake."
Hikaru smiled happily and jumped into his arms. "YOU'RE AWAKE! I can't believe it! You've finally woken up!"
There was a loud, fake cough from behind them, and the two looked at the audience that had formed around them.
"Well, look here! Eagle's back!" said the Caldina, excitedly.
Geo and Zazu looked stunned, while Lafarga smiled distantly. Clef didn't seem to mind the intrusion, as he looked happy to see the young commander awake once again. Umi and Fuu were joyful that he was awake, but even happier at how pleased Hikaru looked. The Chizeta and Fahren rulers didn't know Eagle very well, but they were glad that he was awake, nonetheless. Ferio and Presea also looked pleased to see the former invader up again. (I didn't forget anyone, did I?)
"Eagle…" Geo stared at his commander, not believing what he was seeing. He was back, the one person he would entrust his life with… Geo clasped a hand down on Eagle's shoulder. "It's good to see you." Eagle smiled back, understanding how Geo felt.
Zazu leapt forward. "Commander!" He gave Eagle a salute. "Nice to see you awake!"
Eagle closed his eyes, thinking about the wonderful people that had been waiting for him. He opened his eyes and smiled warmly, "Thank you…"
Hikaru sighed happily, not seeming to realize that Eagle's arms were still holding her. "He's back…"
"Hikaru…" Eagle tightened his hold on her, as if he was afraid that she would disappear. It all seemed like a dream, holding his Hikaru so close, seeing his friends again… Being awake and able to enjoy life for all it was worth!
Fuu coughed, and said politely, "It's wonderful to see you awake again, Eagle-san. Please, sit down. We were just celebrating Guru Clef's birthday!"
Hikaru slipped out from Eagle's arms, feeling uncomfortable. Lantis was at another planet, and she couldn't help but she would be betraying him if she got too close to Eagle. "Yeah! Hey, Eagle, you really did make it for the party!"
Vision smiled down at her, "Yes, I did. I got lucky, huh?"
The red head nodded in agreement, and gently tugged at his hand, leading him towards the long table. Dodge pulled out another chair for him, placing it next to Hikaru's.
Clef again took his seat at the head of the table, and the rest followed suit. Dodge ran into the kitchen, and hurriedly returned with a giant knife to cut the cake. Lafarga took the knife in his hands, and being an excellent swordsman, he sliced and diced the cake perfectly.
Caldina smiled as Dodge handed her a rather large piece of cake. "Lafarga, you, like, really shouldn't show off!"
Her lover raised an eyebrow at this, recalling the many times Caldina had boasted about being the very best dancer in Chizeta. Instead of mentioning it, though, he gave a simple answer. "Right."
Sanyun sweatdropped as Aska took THREE huge pieces for herself. He didn't dare to comment, although he couldn't help but wonder how Aska managed to eat so much, and yet maintain such a petite and kawaii form. Even for a girl her age, it couldn't possibly be natural…
Fuu daintily stabbed a piece of her cake, making sure to practice proper etiquette. Her parents had forever raised her to be most refined, a real lady. She inwardly groaned at the remembrance of WHY she had suffered through countless lessons of how to use her fork properly and such. To be wed to a handsome young man at the age of twenty-one. A man already chosen for her. Her eyes darted to Ferio for a second, before returning to her slice of cake.
Hikaru ate her cake neatly, but didn't show as much decorum as Fuu did. She gulped down a piece of the pastry, and let her eyes wonder to the man at her side. Eagle was inspecting the cake, as if trying to gather what it was. She couldn't help but notice how cute his inquisitive gold eyes were, nor could she resist smiling at his surprise when he tasted the cake.
Umi wasn't really paying attention to her slice, as she was much more interested in what everyone else thought. They all seemed to be satisfied, except for Dodge. The cook seemed disgusted at the fact that it actually tasted good! The blue haired girl paid special attention to how Ascot and Clef took the cake, and was happy to see that they were enjoying it. Clef had always loved Umi's cakes, and Ascot would love anything Umi made. The Knight was, however, oblivious to those facts.
"This pastry is really quite delicious," spoke up Eagle, "Who made it?"
Umi smiled and tilted her head, before answering, "I did, of course! That cook over there couldn't make a decent dessert if her life depended on it!"
Everyone sweatdropped and faced Dodge, who looked like she was about to explode. And she did. At least, her temper did. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?!?! I'll have you know, I am the VERY BEST when it comes to Cephiro's desserts! This pathetic *Earth* pastry of yours doesn't stand a chance to MY amazing products!"
Umi rolled her eyes in disbelief. "I have to say, I can't believe that! If your desserts taste anything like your cooking, I'm surprised that anyone can actually eat it without dying! Or at the very least, passing out!"
Before Dodge could retort, Ferio quickly interrupted. "Umi, your cake is really delicious, and Dodge, you're the best cook…In Cephiro! I don't see why you're arguing, you two are equally talented!"
However, the two females would not listen to reason, and they glared at each other. Umi suddenly twisted her around and shouted, "Guru Clef! What do you think? Do you prefer my desserts or HER nasty food? If you can actually call it food!"
Clef, who had been content to eat his cake and ignore the argument, looked up and sweatdropped. "Uhh…" This was one of the more difficult choices Clef had to make in life. If he agreed with Umi, he would lose a cook. If he agreed with Dodge, he would lose cake…and a friend. "Weeeeell… You two girls are both very talented, and I admire both of your cooking skills. So, I, uh, don't think can make a decision."
Dodge opened her mouth to shoot another insult at Umi, when something interrupted her. One of the huge windows in the room shattered, and it's shards blew into the room. One by one, each of the windows suffered the same fate. Fuu put her hands together, and shouted, "Guardian Wind!" Almost immediately, a barrier of wind surrounded the people, keeping the glass pieces from attacking them.
"What's going on?!?" exclaimed Umi, standing up and walking towards one of the mirrors. This was an unwise choice, as seconds later, a giant monster leapt through the window that Umi was studying. She shrieked and jumped back in surprise and fear. The monster was a hideous sight, with it's dog like body and bear like face. The creature snapped it's teeth, and drool splattered onto the hardwood floor. A snarl was the only sound it made, as it crept closer to the terrified Knight.
"Umi!" Ascot was about to summon a monster to defeat the Dieten, which was the name of that species of monster.
However, Clef beat him to it. "~Sundace~ Fire Engulf!" Fire shot out of the floor, and wrapped itself around the now fearful Dieten, crushing and burning it at the same time. Ascot couldn't help feel a bit jealous, he should have been the one to save Umi! (And no, Umi's not an idiot who forgot to use her magic. Would YOU be thinking straight if a monster were about to eat you?)
Hikaru and Fuu quickly rushed to Umi's side, and helped her up. Fuu sighed with relief, as she saw that Umi hadn't been hurt at all. "Umi-san, you should be more careful!" The blond then turned to Clef. "We should leave this room."
Clef nodded in agreement, and opened the doors with a wave of his hand. "Let's leave. I'll bolt the doors from the outside." With that, the group left, a few of them glancing behind to make sure no other monsters would pop out. As they left, the windows fixed themselves, with the help of Hikaru's will.
Lafarga noticed that Caldina looked especially uneasy, and he knew why. The monster probably reminded her of the times when Emeraude had trapped herself in the watery grave. He knew she still felt guilty, thinking about money instead of Cephiro's well being. But that was in the past, and why should she have cared? It wasn't her home…then, anyways.
Eagle couldn't help but feel that this was some sort of bad omen. This happening on the day he awakened? He frowned, and glanced at Hikaru's pale face. The sweet young girl looked troubled, and he was afraid he knew why. She probably blamed herself, having the strongest will in Cephiro. Hikaru probably thought that it was somehow her fault that the monster appeared, that she hadn't been concentrating enough of her will onto Cephiro. She was acting as if she was still the pillar.
~*~
In Autozam, Lantis was desperately trying to fall asleep. For some reason, he felt troubled and he was afraid it had to do with Hikaru. 'Perhaps this trip was chosen at a bad time…' He got up and pressed a button to his side. Almost immediately, a slutty looking woman came in.
"You called for service?" asked the woman, whose name was Hiana. She winked at him, as she noticed his handsome face and body. Lantis didn't seem to notice this. So she tried flipping her hair and winked at him again, making it quite clear she was interested in spending the night. He didn't bat an eye. 'Must be gay.' She noted with disgust and annoyance. 'The cute ones are always queer.'
"I need to send a message to Cephiro."
She nodded, "All right, but that expensive. 55 piel for every line sent to Cephiro from Autozam."
He answered, "I'm friends with the President of Autozam. He's taking care of all expenses."
Hiana was impressed, a guy who knew the President! This kinda guy would be useful to her image. Ah, hell with his gayness! She would *force* him to become Bi or Hetero! "Really? That's amazing!" She sat down on the edge of his bed and batted her eyes.
Lantis stared at her in disgust. Hiana was the exact type of girl he detested. The heavy blue eye shadow, gaunt face, overdone blush, badly applied lipstick, cheap perfume, and sickeningly long, fake nails. He quickly jotted down a letter and practically pushed her off his bed, while handing her the note. "I want this sent express!"
She gave him an annoyed look, before grabbing the letter out of his hand. Hiana swiftly turned around and walked out the door, her tacky red heels clacking on the floor. Her fake, curly blond hair bounced up and down as she turned to face him one last time, before slamming the door shut.
~*~
The letter:
Hikaru,
Are you all right? I'm assuming Clef's
birthday went well, but I had a bad feeling and felt I should write you. Is
everyone all right? How is Eagle? I can't say much, due to lack of time and I
don't want to charge the President too much money.
To Be Continued…
Disclaimer (Forgot it last time!): I don't own Rayearth, nor any of the Rayearth characters. I own the storyline of this fic, and the original characters like Hiana.
Random MKR fact about Sarah: My favorite knight is Umi, and my favorite character is Eagle! ^^ I'm making a shrine for Eagle, soon!
A/N: Is everyone enjoying the story? Well, hang on, it's going to get a bit crazy, soon! And I do mean crazy! ^_^ The glass shattering will be explained later, and there will be many Caldina/Lafarga moments! YAAAAY!!! What? Oh, yeah, there will be Hikaru/Lantis/Eagle moments, too, as that's what this fic is based on! J Extreme jealousy will be felt soon enough.
This chapter is dedicated to all the people who died in the destruction of September 11, 2001. May they rest in peace… And the people who were wounded at heart and physically, may they find strength in others and from within themselves.
