1 Note: Well, this is the last completed chapter, so it will
take longer for me to update because I haven't finished the next chapter.
I've decided that this part will be longer than the last part so it may
take a while! Hang in there!
2 Chapter 6: Dark Winds
Fuu opened the door softly, she hadn't expected Hikaru, if indeed Hikaru was there, to take refuge in a garden. But she trusted Mokona, and Mokona said Hikaru was here or near here, then that was where Hikaru would be.
If the marshmallow was taking them to Hikaru, it had the habit of guiding you to things that you weren't looking for specifically. Like the two- dimensional spring of Eterna, they certainly hadn't been looking for a spring like that. Fuu broke out of her reflections as the door creaked open, revealing a large garden full of trees.
Fuu moved forward, aware that Lantis had caught up and was right behind her and Mokona. The furry thing bounded ahead, the dim light filtering through the crystal ceiling turning it a creamy rose color against the dark grass. Coming into a clearing, Fuu stopped so abruptly that Lantis almost bumped into her.
"Puu! Pu!" Mokona's voice sounded very loud in the silent garden, but the three people didn't notice.
Hikaru was standing by a bench, her face eerily still and calm in the light cast by the two transmitter pieces lying about half a meter away from her. Lantis moved so that he was to the right of Fuu, closer to the devices. Peering at them carefully he muttered something that sounded like a curse to Fuu, who had immediately moved toward Hikaru. She never reached her.
About half a foot away from Hikaru she was thrown backward by a shimmering barrier that materialized between her and her friend. Not done any lasting harm, Fuu picked herself up immediately and reached out to the still faintly glowing shield.
It sparked slightly when she touched it but didn't do anything else, comforting Fuu slightly. Lantis was curiously watching her, knowing he couldn't be of any real help now that some sort of magic or mechanics that he couldn't understand was involved.
"Lantis-sama, would you care to see if the shield extends all the way to the black devices lying about one half a meter away from Hikaru?" she asked, not dropping the formalities, but sounding preoccupied as she rested her hand fully against the block.
When nothing happened, just that her hand seemed to stop in midair Fuu again tried to enter the shield and was again pushed back, although she was prepared for it and didn't fall down again, she did stumble back slightly.
"It does." Lantis's abrupt statement interrupted her scrutiny of the barrier.
"Well, if it can block a physical blow, what about magic?" Fuu asked herself. "Lantis-sama, please step back for a moment." The green winds that had begun to swirl around her discouraged him from protesting.
"Green Tornado!" the attack flew from her hands, clashing against the shield forcefully. Unfortunately it only bounced back, directly at Lantis. Fuu sprang in front of him as quickly as possible, readying herself for another spell.
"Guardian Wind!" the wind of protection that she called up absorbed the earlier attack, and the winds died suddenly.
Looking back at the shield, Fuu noticed it was sparking and flashing all over now, apparently resisting her attack had damaged it severely.
Windam help this work! She silently appealed to her Mashin, knowing there wasn't enough room to summon him.
The crazy idea that had suddenly popped into her mind wasn't going to be the safest and most prudent thing to do, but it was the best.
Drawing her long sword out of her glove jewel, she ran straight at the point that her magic had hit, it was probably the weakest spot at the moment.
Fuu didn't see the ghostly image of a huge bird appear behind her, but Lantis did, and it was the only thing that kept him from interfering. The winds again gathered around her, circling her sword in an emerald light.
Hitting the shield in a burst of green and yellow lights the winds held out for a fraction of seconds, then vanished. But Fuu, gritting her teeth and continuing to move forward, and the bird did not. For about three seconds the barrier remained, then cracks of light spread from where the sword had sunk halfway through.
With a tremendous popping sound the shield shattered into brilliant shards of light, then it vanished entirely, leaving the garden dark except for Fuu's fading bird, that let off a greenish looking glow. Seeming not to notice the light, she stumbled forward a few paces before she could catch herself. Lantis was by Hikaru's side almost as fast as she was.
~ ~ ~ ` ~ ~ ~
Hikaru was failing fast now, each time their swords locked he was able to push her back farther, forcing her out into the center of the field.
She cursed mentally when he slipped past her guard again and cut her left shoulder, the shoulder that was unprotected by a shoulder guard by her armor in the form it was in. Attacking Eagle while he was recovering his balance from his lunge Hikaru slashed forward and down suddenly, trying to get under his sword. It didn't work, he had gotten his balance even while she moved in and had parried her easily.
Their swords locked again and she tried to disengage her blade, knowing that she could never win in a contest of strength. Instead she tried to keep it to skill alone, not a battle where the strongest won, but a fight that relied upon talent with the sword. Sliding her sword straight down his to try and hit his hand again, she found that it worked both ways, and he was faster.
Eagle's long sword had an advantage here, while she would have to move in as close as possible to attack, he could use his superior reach to keep her back. And he used that advantage as often as he could, but Hikaru had been using all her speed to dodge, something that was fast failing as she grew more and more exhausted.
Going right down her sword, his blade sliced at her fingers, not cutting deep enough to even hit the bone, but hard enough to make her stumble back a step. Fortunately she didn't drop her sword, but her fingers throbbed, warning her that one more such cut and she would need to switch hands. Bringing her other hand up to grip the hilt, she took a ready stance, prepared for another assault. It never came.
Eagle straightened, looking slightly upward not quite over her head, lowering his sword. Hikaru cautiously let her sword fade out of her grasp, sensing that, for now, he was too preoccupied to really fight well. And if there was something important that was happening and he knew about it, then it was probable that it had to do with her.
"Your friends have broken the shield," they were the first words that had been spoken since they had started fighting in earnest.
"What shield?" Hikaru walked over to stand beside him, her curiosity overcoming her caution.
"The one around your physical body," Eagle looked at her, then handed her a small folded piece of paper. "Here. Give this to Lantis for me," at that he turned away, walking into the forest.
Just before he was out of sight he hit something and disappeared. Moments later, the forest and clearing dissolved, vanishing in a crackle of flames. Hikaru didn't fall this time but when she opened her eyes she blinked, hovering over her were both Fuu and Lantis, and both of them looked very concerned.
2 Chapter 6: Dark Winds
Fuu opened the door softly, she hadn't expected Hikaru, if indeed Hikaru was there, to take refuge in a garden. But she trusted Mokona, and Mokona said Hikaru was here or near here, then that was where Hikaru would be.
If the marshmallow was taking them to Hikaru, it had the habit of guiding you to things that you weren't looking for specifically. Like the two- dimensional spring of Eterna, they certainly hadn't been looking for a spring like that. Fuu broke out of her reflections as the door creaked open, revealing a large garden full of trees.
Fuu moved forward, aware that Lantis had caught up and was right behind her and Mokona. The furry thing bounded ahead, the dim light filtering through the crystal ceiling turning it a creamy rose color against the dark grass. Coming into a clearing, Fuu stopped so abruptly that Lantis almost bumped into her.
"Puu! Pu!" Mokona's voice sounded very loud in the silent garden, but the three people didn't notice.
Hikaru was standing by a bench, her face eerily still and calm in the light cast by the two transmitter pieces lying about half a meter away from her. Lantis moved so that he was to the right of Fuu, closer to the devices. Peering at them carefully he muttered something that sounded like a curse to Fuu, who had immediately moved toward Hikaru. She never reached her.
About half a foot away from Hikaru she was thrown backward by a shimmering barrier that materialized between her and her friend. Not done any lasting harm, Fuu picked herself up immediately and reached out to the still faintly glowing shield.
It sparked slightly when she touched it but didn't do anything else, comforting Fuu slightly. Lantis was curiously watching her, knowing he couldn't be of any real help now that some sort of magic or mechanics that he couldn't understand was involved.
"Lantis-sama, would you care to see if the shield extends all the way to the black devices lying about one half a meter away from Hikaru?" she asked, not dropping the formalities, but sounding preoccupied as she rested her hand fully against the block.
When nothing happened, just that her hand seemed to stop in midair Fuu again tried to enter the shield and was again pushed back, although she was prepared for it and didn't fall down again, she did stumble back slightly.
"It does." Lantis's abrupt statement interrupted her scrutiny of the barrier.
"Well, if it can block a physical blow, what about magic?" Fuu asked herself. "Lantis-sama, please step back for a moment." The green winds that had begun to swirl around her discouraged him from protesting.
"Green Tornado!" the attack flew from her hands, clashing against the shield forcefully. Unfortunately it only bounced back, directly at Lantis. Fuu sprang in front of him as quickly as possible, readying herself for another spell.
"Guardian Wind!" the wind of protection that she called up absorbed the earlier attack, and the winds died suddenly.
Looking back at the shield, Fuu noticed it was sparking and flashing all over now, apparently resisting her attack had damaged it severely.
Windam help this work! She silently appealed to her Mashin, knowing there wasn't enough room to summon him.
The crazy idea that had suddenly popped into her mind wasn't going to be the safest and most prudent thing to do, but it was the best.
Drawing her long sword out of her glove jewel, she ran straight at the point that her magic had hit, it was probably the weakest spot at the moment.
Fuu didn't see the ghostly image of a huge bird appear behind her, but Lantis did, and it was the only thing that kept him from interfering. The winds again gathered around her, circling her sword in an emerald light.
Hitting the shield in a burst of green and yellow lights the winds held out for a fraction of seconds, then vanished. But Fuu, gritting her teeth and continuing to move forward, and the bird did not. For about three seconds the barrier remained, then cracks of light spread from where the sword had sunk halfway through.
With a tremendous popping sound the shield shattered into brilliant shards of light, then it vanished entirely, leaving the garden dark except for Fuu's fading bird, that let off a greenish looking glow. Seeming not to notice the light, she stumbled forward a few paces before she could catch herself. Lantis was by Hikaru's side almost as fast as she was.
~ ~ ~ ` ~ ~ ~
Hikaru was failing fast now, each time their swords locked he was able to push her back farther, forcing her out into the center of the field.
She cursed mentally when he slipped past her guard again and cut her left shoulder, the shoulder that was unprotected by a shoulder guard by her armor in the form it was in. Attacking Eagle while he was recovering his balance from his lunge Hikaru slashed forward and down suddenly, trying to get under his sword. It didn't work, he had gotten his balance even while she moved in and had parried her easily.
Their swords locked again and she tried to disengage her blade, knowing that she could never win in a contest of strength. Instead she tried to keep it to skill alone, not a battle where the strongest won, but a fight that relied upon talent with the sword. Sliding her sword straight down his to try and hit his hand again, she found that it worked both ways, and he was faster.
Eagle's long sword had an advantage here, while she would have to move in as close as possible to attack, he could use his superior reach to keep her back. And he used that advantage as often as he could, but Hikaru had been using all her speed to dodge, something that was fast failing as she grew more and more exhausted.
Going right down her sword, his blade sliced at her fingers, not cutting deep enough to even hit the bone, but hard enough to make her stumble back a step. Fortunately she didn't drop her sword, but her fingers throbbed, warning her that one more such cut and she would need to switch hands. Bringing her other hand up to grip the hilt, she took a ready stance, prepared for another assault. It never came.
Eagle straightened, looking slightly upward not quite over her head, lowering his sword. Hikaru cautiously let her sword fade out of her grasp, sensing that, for now, he was too preoccupied to really fight well. And if there was something important that was happening and he knew about it, then it was probable that it had to do with her.
"Your friends have broken the shield," they were the first words that had been spoken since they had started fighting in earnest.
"What shield?" Hikaru walked over to stand beside him, her curiosity overcoming her caution.
"The one around your physical body," Eagle looked at her, then handed her a small folded piece of paper. "Here. Give this to Lantis for me," at that he turned away, walking into the forest.
Just before he was out of sight he hit something and disappeared. Moments later, the forest and clearing dissolved, vanishing in a crackle of flames. Hikaru didn't fall this time but when she opened her eyes she blinked, hovering over her were both Fuu and Lantis, and both of them looked very concerned.