Chains of Destiny

Prelude: Shadows

By Oniko

AN: created and owned by Clamp. As always please tell me what you think I love reviews, even flames.

Hikaru prayed. She knelt on silk cushions in an elegantly beautiful stone pavilion open to the eternally spring air, and she prayed. She prayed for peace, for beautiful weather and healthy, happy people. She prayed for Cephiro.

When, exactly, did she take on the duties of the Pillar? She was never really sure. At first, she was determined for the people's hearts to determine the course of their lives, like on Earth. But something went wrong, the people weren't strong enough to sustain Cephiro. They didn't want to be strong enough to sustain their world and the burden fell to Hikaru.

It was hard, to root out the darkness in her heart that was the reflection of Cephiro's pain. To pray and to love until the darkness faded away and all was light. It was a task to which she worked every hour of every day. For this she was treated like royalty and pampered with her every whim or need met as she voiced it. But always she must pray.

She grew distant from her friends, who lead double lives, in Cephiro and in Tokyo, until one day they asked that she not summon them anymore. Their lives had moved on without her or Cephiro, they grew up while she remained unchanged from the day that she accepted Emeraude's crown. She felt like her heart would break every time she thought of them, and somewhere in Cephiro a little pocket of darkness would grow. What shape it took would vary, sometimes a monster, or a storm, or a disease, always she would have to find it and pray for the darkness to leave.

Through it all Lantis stood beside her, a rock to rest upon. He took up his brother's mantle of High Priest and supported her prayers. He would always find the darkness, no matter how small or how well she hid it from herself. He knew her, heart and soul, more intimately than any lover. She depended on him for it, for his strength and his heart.

Hikaru sighed to herself and shifted slightly as she watched dark storm clouds fill the bright spring sky. Within moments it was dark as night and rain poured down around them. Lantis stood behind her watching the storm as well; he reached out a comforting hand to touch her shoulder. "You are going to scare the villagers again."

"I don't care." She said, her words nearly drowned out by the crack of thunder. "I want a thunderstorm."

"Was not the day beautiful enough for you?"

"No." She said. "You know something? I loved storms as a child, I used to go out and run through the rain, I loved to watch the lightning." Almost to emphasize her point blue lightning streaked across the sky in an intricate pattern. She had told him this probably a hundred times, always he knew she was lying but he never mentioned it. She stood and brushed off her knees, shivering slightly in the storm cooled air.

"Hikaru." Lantis said softly, his voice thick with some emotion she found difficult to place. She turned to face him. "Is that the only reason you wanted the storm, Hikaru. Childhood memories?"

Well, he almost never mentioned it, she amended to herself. She was silent for a moment before turning away and admitting. "Other memories."

She watched the storm, flinching sometimes at the deafening crash of thunder. But she rather that then to hear the words she was dreading. "What other memories?"

"My friends, we were all together while it stormed in Cephiro." And with you. She barely kept the last few words between her teeth, though she could not doubt their truth. "Things were so much simpler then." I could love you then.

"Hikaru." He rested his hands on her slender shoulders and she could feel his warmth at her back, strong and comforting. They stood there a long time before he spoke again. "Do you love me, Hikaru?"

She closed her eyes to hide the pain. She turned and smiled up at him, hoping against hope that this time the smile reached her eyes. "Of course I love you, Lantis. I love everyone."

His grip on her shoulders tightened and he frowned at her "That's not what I asked and you know it."

"That's the only answer I can ever give you." She watched him, watched the pain fill his eyes, watched it without flinching or looking away. That was her punishment for herself. She must watch his pain, feel it as her own and know that she could stop it. She could stop his pain with just three stupid little words. But she didn't. And she wouldn't because Cephiro needed her heart to be strong. Cephiro needed her more then he did. And she tried not to think about how much she needed him. After an agonizing eternity he stepped back and bowed stiffly. An emotionless mask dropped over his face that didn't quite hide the pain. "Forgive me, Princess, for my familiarity."

He turned and walked away with the fluid grace of a trained warrior. She wanted to call out to him, but couldn't move. She could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks but made no move to brush them away. Instead she knelt back down on the cushions to pray. The storm raged out of her control and there was a new shadow in her heart.