*Here's the long awaited chapter on Fuu and Ferio. Oh! And by the way, in case any of you were wondering, there were some questions asked about the title, it's actually a song that I'm going to use in this fanfiction. It's not some random thing that I pulled out of my hat or something *grins* though… well anyway, I really don't know why you guys seem to like this one so much, I kinda hated it when I started writing, oh well, as long as you enjoy! My sincerest apologies on the delay!*

Chapter Thirteen: Bachelorette

She opened her green eyes slowly, carefully. She scanned the horizon and crystal blue skies. She was on the outskirts of a forest, a very thick, dark forest. "The Forest of Silence," she whispered and took off toward the palace. She didn't care what way her body ached; she had come home to him.

Through it all she had persevered and come home to him, just like she always said she would.

Bachelorette you climb on rooftops

She burst through the palace doors and looked around excitedly, breathing heavily from the run. Blood had flushed into her pale face, giving an almost glow to her, despite her black rings and sunken features. She was radiant as she ran down the halls to the throne room where she was sure to find him.

And you Bachelorette

She sprawled into the throne room with a wide smile, "Ferio!"

He looked up, and his eyes filled with a hundred emotions as she took in the scene, and her smile disappeared and was replaced with a look of confusion. She was just as gorgeous as he remembered, but he saw she had lost a lot of weight, and she hadn't been sleeping very well.

You can turn dust into champagne

She looked at him and almost laughed out loud. He was the same, handsome, smart, sometimes egotistical Ferio. She then looked and found a few others in the room, Clef and Presea, Lantis and Eagle, Lafarga and Caldina. Her eyes stopped on a girl seated next to Ferio, seated in the Prince's throne room, that meant only one thing, and her eyes filled with betrayal and confusion and loss.

"Ferio?" she choked his name this time. "You want to introduce me?"

You even remembered his name

He winced, and they watched as his courage failed him. How could he do this to his Fuu-chan? But what about Natsumi, did she deserve betrayal like this as well? His whole world began to collapse with her expression. This wasn't a nightmare, and her heart was breaking. His heart was failing him.

Bachelorette, the braves you painted pink

"This is Natsumi, Natsumi, this is Fuu, the Magic Knight of Wind," Ferio whispered.

"So another one emerges, pleased to meet you," Natsumi bowed to Fuu who mustered as much disrespect as she could and did only half a bow. Those who knew her turned their heads. "Are all Magic Knights disrespectful?"

"Another?" Fuu dismissed it and asked quietly instead.

"Umi, Hikaru is on her way," Clef spared Ferio, and Fuu smiled at him as if just noticing his presence.

"Arigato," she bowed low and then went to hug Presea and Caldina and say hello to the others present in the room. "I'm going to find Umi-san," she announced and left.

For Bachelorettes

Ferio quickly excused himself, needing to speak to both Knights, so he said, and followed her out.

He caught her, and she looked at him with a look somewhere between disgust, anger and pain, "Come, let's talk."

"Yes, let's," she said dryly, and he snapped, and they appeared in his rooms.

'He's gotten better at magic,' she thought to herself. 'He's been idol then.'

"I couldn't help it Fuu," he began, "it was arranged."

"By who?" Fuu's eyes flashed.

"Clef and I," he looked down and tried to begin to explain. "When I lost you I thought nothing about ruling. I fell into a depression, and my rule began to fail. People began to lose faith. It got so bad that the only way to save myself would be to make an alliance with the Nobles plotting against me. The allegiance was sealed with my engagement to Natsumi."

The word struck Fuu hard, and she closed her eyes.

"Gomen nasai, you know I love you."

"Then get rid of her!" Fuu shouted.

"I can't; it's not that easy," he protested.

"But it is that easy!" it was so out of character that it startled even her. "You have us now, no one will ever challenge your rule with us."

You tried to show him that he can

"Politics are something you can't fight with swords and magic. This isn't about the Magic Knights anymore. This is about where loyalties lie and where they have to lie to keep Cephiro safe," he hated having to hurt her, and he would shed tears over it later.

But you never can rush a man

"Gomen nasai then," she whispered and walked out of his room, out of his life. Somewhere he prayed that it wasn't forever.

She walked down the familiar halls and let the tears come. She couldn't believe this was happening. After everything she had come back and thought that all her problems would be over. She believed that she was going to be safe and happy now that she was back in Cephiro. Back in Cephiro, she thought to herself. How long had she wished for that? How long had they wished for that?

They, she thought to herself, and knew that she had to go find Umi. She had to know how the Water Knight was fairing now that she was finally back in the place they belonged, or at least…the place she thought they belonged.

She walked to Umi's room and knocked on the door. There was a heavy sigh and someone opening a veranda door, and then the door was opened for her.

"Fuu!" Umi screamed and threw her arms around the girl. "You're back!"

She nodded and hugged Umi back, "Please though," she pulled away and saw the knowledge in Umi's eyes. "You know then?"

"It was one of the first things I found out," Umi said softly. "But I thought that he'd…"

"No," Fuu wiped tears away.

"Come in," Umi led her inside and sat her on her bed. Fuu tried not to notice the broken china on the floor and a few scattered books. Umi sat next to her and took her hands. "I don't think he'd ever hurt you like that. He might just be being stubborn right now, but he'll get over it and realize he can't live without you."

"I don't think so," Fuu whispered. "He's afraid for Cephiro and as much as he loves me his duty to Cephiro is stronger than any love."

"That doesn't seem possibly," Umi told her. "Because he loves you more than even Cephiro," she couldn't believe she was defending him.

Fuu laughed weakly, she didn't know what the sudden change in Umi was, "You hate Ferio."

"But I love you," she answered quietly. "And I don't want to see you in pain, not after all we've been through together, not after all you've done to get back."

"But that's what I don't understand!" Fuu shouted helplessly. "We didn't do anything to get back!"

"We gave up," Umi said softly. "We let go and tried to move on; we stopped trying, and it fell into our laps. Just like when you're looking for something and you can't find it. The minute you stop looking it appears."

"Did you just figure that out? How long have you been here?" Fuu questioned.

"About three days, and you'll be here three days before Hikaru arrives. That's how it works, apparently the travel is longer in Cephiro than it seems to us. Clef explained it," Umi shook off the name.

"I hate him!" Fuu screamed.

"What?" Umi whispered.

"He's the one who convinced Ferio into this godforsaken relationship!"

"Oh," Umi looked down.

"And now I'm alone in the one place that I'm supposed to be with him," she began to sob, and Umi held her while she cried.

"I know he loves you; I know he does," she whispered to her and let her cry and get it all out.

You must remember

When all the tears had vanished, and she felt weak she left Umi with her silence and her tears and began to wander the halls once more.

She needed something to keep herself busy, something to keep her from thinking about him and what he had done to her. She decided on going to the library to look for something to read.

She walked into the library and looked through the rows and rows of books, looking for something that would strike her interest. She stopped when she heard a feminine voice asking questions. There were a few mutters but no answers, and she realized that it was just the persons she was trying to avoid.

You're a car girl

"What are you hiding from me Ferio?" she demanded, and her voice was getting heated by this point. She was tired of him lying to her.

He grunted in response.

"These Magic Knights! Especially the Water Knight, what's her problem? She treats me awfully and even the Wind Knight shows no respect to Cephiro's future Princess! Answer me Ferio! This agreement was for their benefit wasn't it?"

You're a star girl

She held her breath and tried not to laugh and cry. Their benefit? It was disgusting even hearing it.

"This agreement had nothing to do with them," he growled, "and everything to do with your father who was ready to wage war upon all of Cephiro."

She was silent then, for a minute. "My father would have been able to rule this country efficiently. He would have been able to keep the Magic Knights under his belt. They wouldn't have shown me disrespect."

You are at the door

"No one controls the Magic Knights, and anyone thinks that they can is obviously either very crazy or very stupid."

Fuu could feel the heat in her voice.

"What did you just say?"

"I'm simply saying your father would have no better luck with them than I," he tried to correct himself, but the damage was already done.

"You better think about what you want from me long and hard Ferio," she warned. "Because you know as well as I that with one bad report I could have your whole world torn apart."

Fuu heard footsteps and a door slam; then she heard Ferio's heavy sigh. She wanted more than anything to go out to him and comfort him.

"Dammit," he muttered and slammed a fist against the shelf. A book fell from the other side and hit Fuu in the head.

"Ouch," she whispered, and heard him move his hand.

"Hello?" he asked and walked around the bookshelf. She wished she had the power of invisibility as he rounded the corner and stared at her. "Fuu? Were you listening?"

"I was-looking for a book, and sorta, overheard," she stumbled and looked away from those amber eyes that she loved so dearly. How badly it hurt her to be near him like this, to see him and not be able to touch him.

He sighed again and sat on the floor near where she had been crouching, "She's just looking for an excuse to tear Cephiro to shreds, to tear my rule apart."

"Why?" Fuu asked and tried not to cry. She wished that she wouldn't have to have this conversation with him. She was discussing her lover's fiancé, and it was heart wrenching.

"That has to do a little with Umi and a lot with power," he answered.

"Umi?" Fuu inquired.

"She hates Umi," Ferio explained, and Fuu understood. A slight smile appeared on her face, a genuine one. It was the most she'd smiled in a year and a half, and it felt strange to her. "I love it when you smile," he put a hand on her chin and reached in to kiss her, but she pulled away.

"I won't let you do this to yourself and Cephiro," she told him and wouldn't let him see her eyes that were tearing up. "I'm sure that you'll find some way to please her and regain your status. Give her a surprise," she couldn't believe she was saying what she was saying. "I loved that."

The tide will turn

"Fuu-I…"

She stopped him by shaking her head, "It's good to be home, but now I must be going, it's almost time for dinner I think," she bowed to him and left him alone.

She couldn't believe she had done this. She knew though that Cephiro was important to him, more important than anything. She couldn't risk seeing it torn to pieces once more. She didn't want war; she didn't want anymore death in her name. She didn't want the Magic Knights to have to be an agent of war any longer, no matter how much she loved him. She would have to live without him, for the lives of thousands.

There's a window

At dinner the two Magic Knights were missing, and everyone wondered why. They both came in together though, late by a bit, but everyone seemed to sigh in relief and let out a breath they had been holding. The two smiled a bit and talked some, and it was the healthiest they had seen them, so they were thankful as the two sat and were given plates.

"Great," Natsumi muttered when they walked in, but no more was said on the issue.

Fuu smiled weakly when Natsumi slipped her hand under the table and took Ferio's hand. She turned her eyes from his begging glance. One word, she knew, and he would give Natsumi up, give everything up. Despite what he said, she knew that he would do that for her. She wouldn't have it though; she couldn't have it, as much as she craved him. She would not see Cephiro come to ruin.

Bachelorette the things you do girls

He couldn't avoid the pain in her eyes, couldn't hide that from himself. And suddenly the weight she had lost seemed to register to him, and the way that she lost some of the shine in her elegant green eyes. He couldn't help but think it was all because of him, and he heard Umi's voice in his head, "It's because it was; you that did this to her." She had never said that to him, but her voice was clear as crystal, and he knew why. It was his conscious taking her voice to make it more effective. He had deeply wounded his Fuu-chan and this wasn't helping.

To your bachelorettes…

Umi showed her the stables and left her to her own devices. She mounted the chestnut roan bareback, and they walked from the stable and out into the night. She needed time to think by herself. She needed time away from the palace, away from him and the rest of their eyes. She found herself wondering further and further into the Forest of Silence and night had swift wings in Cephiro. She knew she should turn back, but her thoughts were pulling her away from consciousness and further into the Forest.

She had thought that she would be able to find him here. She never thought that he would find someone else. She had never thought to make him promise. He had made her promise never to find someone else, and she had stuck to it, but he had never had such a promise. She began to wish that she had made him make one.

'Fuu don't be so selfish,' her mind hissed. 'You know that he belongs not to you only, but to Cephiro first and foremost.'

But no matter how noble her deed was she couldn't help but feel betrayed and alone and angry. She couldn't help but wish that Cephiro wasn't his kingdom. She would rather him be a poor man herding sheep for a living than the Prince, as long as they could be together.

You thought that…

He watched her leave and waited for her return, when darkness approached, and still she hadn't emerged from the forest he set out after her, on horseback. He took the other horse from the stable and rode through the forest, in search of her. "Fuu!" he knew it wasn't safe, and he couldn't have her hurt, whether she had her ovum gem or not. He didn't know that he was only doing it to see her, his subconscious was leading him. He wasn't thinking of his kingdom or who could be following him.

He found her halfway through the woods, and she looked stunned to find him there.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"What do you think?" he looked around him. "It's night and you're alone in the Forest of Silence? You haven't killed every monster in Cephiro you know."

She nodded, "Hai, gomen," they headed back to the palace in silence before she blurted out, more out of anger than actual inquiry. "Won't Natsumi wonder where you've gone?"

He looked down and shook his head, "Not until it's time for bed."

And the way he said it made her sick.

"Fuu-chan I'm sorry."

"Don't call me that," she gritted her teeth. "Pretend you were looking for something else Ferio, don't endanger your country. You may not remember, so I'll remember for both of us. Leave me alone and spare us all, forget me, as I've forgotten you."

You must remember

She kicked the horse into a heavy canter and headed toward the palace once more. Once she was in her room she slammed the door and began to cry. This wasn't right; she shouldn't have to do this. She couldn't believe she had told him that she had forgotten him. She could never forget him. Did he know that? What had she done?

'It's not as if you had anything anyway,' her mind reminded her.

"Shut-up!" she screamed and punched her pillow. "Shut-up…"

She refused to believe she had given her whole life for this; she couldn't believe that. She didn't want to believe that she had abandoned her normal personality for this dismal one because of something a boy had done to her. That's all he was, he was another guy. She had fallen for the oldest trick in the book, and it made her sick.

You're a car girl

She was the Magic Knight of Wind; she dried her tears and stood. She was one of the strongest people in all of Cephiro. She was too smart for this. There were too many people that depended on her for her to fall into a depression, not here. Too much fell on her shoulders for her to waste her life away. She gained a determined expression and drew her sword. It was nice to feel it under her fingers again. She smiled and knew somewhere that she would eventually become herself again, no matter what it took. She would find herself somewhere in what she had become, and she wouldn't do it for Cephiro or for Umi or Hikaru. She would do it for herself, because that's what she wanted to do, that's what she chose to do and that's the person she was.

You're a star girl

She unsummoned her sword and smiled as she fell into bed and looked out her veranda door into the moonlight. She saw amber eyes in that moon, and they were comforting as she fell asleep.

You are at the door

The tide will turn

There's a window

She walked to breakfast, determined and alone and refused to meet his eyes, only smile at those who asked how she was. She would answer civilly and tell them lies about how she was doing in school and what she had been up to. They smiled and nodded, glad to see that the Wind Knight had faired better than the Water Knight had, and Umi just stared unbelievingly at the way she was acting and thinking to herself how unhealthy it was.

Bachelorette, you fly alone now

And when breakfast was over she retreated to her room and screamed and cried and spoke to Windam about how unfair it was.

"He shouldn't be allowed to marry her! Doesn't he love me anymore?" she demanded, and Windam's voice was a whisper in her mind.

'He does love thou, but…' he trailed off.

"Not enough," Fuu's voice was soft, and her words were choked. "He just doesn't love me enough."

'That's not true,' Windam protested, but Fuu needed to be alone with her tears just then. 'He will come around.'

"Sure," Fuu mumbled, and Windam's voice disappeared from her mind. She just sat and stared blankly at the door as tears fell from her cheeks, but she couldn't feel them. She was numb to the pain that they caused, numb to everything. She just sat there as if she was a doll meant only to cry and be alone. She sat there like a piece of fine china that had gotten dusty and gone too long without being used. She sat there and didn't feel a thing, didn't feel and couldn't think. For once in her life, she couldn't even think.

And you cry sometimes

She felt his arms around her, and then there was a breeze and she was cold and alone again. She needed to be free, freer than anything Cephiro could bring to her.

"Windam give me wings to fly," she whispered, and there was a laugh in her mind.

'Jump,' he instructed, and she went to her veranda and jumped off. The next thing she knew she was soaring in the air around the palace. There was a light green Phoenix underneath her, invisible in the sky.

"Arigato," she thanked him, and he laughed a screechy laugh.

They flew around the palace, invisible to the rest of the world. She wondered if she had really left the veranda, because no one saw her. And then she reached his balcony. Windam wasn't going to stop, but she pulled on his feathers, and he hovered there for a moment.

Ferio was standing on the balcony looking at the stars; he sighed heavily.

Natsumi came behind him, and Windam felt Fuu's fingers clench over his feathers. Natsumi wrapped her arms around his waist and laughed when he turned and smiled at her.

Windam began to fly when he felt warm drops hit his feathers.

"Enjoy it," Fuu whispered. "You won't know how great it is until it's gone. Unfortunately," she added with a weak laugh, "you'll never lose it."

There's nothing like it in the world

"Thou knows not what destiny has in mind for thee," Windam dropped her off at her balcony, and she stepped off him. He disappeared in a flash of green and was sucked back into her ovum gem. She smiled and thanked him, stroking her ovum gem, and then fell into a deep dreamless sleep, wearied by her tears. She dreamt of him, and her, and what they had. Then she was woken by a terrible cold and the deep feeling of being alone. She was in Cephiro, and she realized she had forgotten the warmth he brought to her. The thought made her guilty and more alone, and she began to sob all over again.

You'll go to Paris on your own

He sat up a long time after Natsumi had drifted to sleep and thought to himself about how beautiful and courageous she was. If she felt half as bad as he did right now…she had to be feeling worse. She had done this to save him though, because she loved him so much. It endeared him even further, but yet he couldn't have her. He knew Natsumi was growing warier with the arrival of the elegant girls in shining armor with so different personalities and looks. She knew that he could choose any one of them, and it scared her. It scared her, and he knew that her father was near, her father and his army.

Just Bachelorette you climb rooftops and you Bachelorette

He just wanted to hold her one more time.

You can turn dust into champagne

She looked into the moonlight and knew she was staring at the same sky as he was, only rooms away. She knew all that and knew that she couldn't go to him. She had been miles away before, and now, only feet away, she was no closer, further even. Tears rolled down pale, flawless features and the moon shone in her eyes. The moon was a symbol of hope and creation though; maybe it would shine its light on her for once; maybe it would shine its light on both of them.

You even yidiedididi…

*So next chapter will also be Fuu and Ferio, it's an extra chapter I threw in for kicks and a bit of fluff, because I can't have this being sooo depressing all the time. It's kind of depressing cute stuff though, unfortunately. I'm not going to give away anything else though, so that's all for now.

P.S. To anyone who might be reading Always With Me I'm almost finished the next chapter, so I'll have that up over the weekend sometime probably. Now I'm done, really this time ^.^*