Disclaimer: I don't own MKR... 'nuff said...

I'm back and here to stay! ^^ Well, this is chapter 10. There's more U/C moments in this one! Enjoy!

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The sound of metal against metal rang through the night as swords met each other's blades. Over the loud cries of warriors, Umi could hear the screeching of Ascot's monsters. In her ears rang the sound of her pounding heart, which seemed to be lodged in her throat. To her left she could see Ferio energetically slicing through his opponents. One of the soldiers grazed the spot where the gash upon his temple was, and the bandage fell off, revealing woundless skin. She could see the glint in Ferio's eyes as the light reflected off their swords. She looked around to see the number of soldiers was rapidly getting smaller. Umi chose an opponent—a tall, gruff-looking man with raven black hair and bright green eyes. His broad sword clashed against her thin rapier and she was pushed backwards by the force, her heels digging into the soft ground. She lifted her leg and kicked her opponent hard in the stomach, and as he doubled-over, she knocked him unconscious with the hilt of her sword. Umi looked to the other side of the battlefield and saw Clef, but was quickly distracted when another opponent came her way. She quickly blocked him with her sword and had him down in a matter of seconds.

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Clef, on the other side of the field, was desperately trying to fight off his numerous opponents. He knocked many to the ground with his staff, but many more gradually approached.

If only I had my magic, Clef thought as he pounded another man's head in with his staff. Then they would see what true power was.

Clef fended off another soldier, and nailed one in the head as they charged. Then, two soldiers jumped in front of him. Clef was about to lunge forward when a soldier came up from behind him and hit him hard on the back of the head with a club. Clef staggered forward and fell against a rock. His surroundings blurred, and he could see the shapes of the soldiers closing in to finish him off before a larger black shape jumped in. The shapes of the soldiers fell. Clef could hear Umi scream his name from the other side of the field. The larger black shape was beside him, and Clef felt the shape's hands pulling him roughly. He could hear his name being called by what he recognized was Lantis's voice; his head ached. Clef's world swirled around him and everything went black.

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Lantis had immediately rushed to Clef's aid once he saw him fall. He quickly had the offending soldiers down and was trying to wake Clef. He grabbed Clef's shoulders and shook him harshly. Clef's blue eyes were still open, but they were dazed and blank. Lantis whispered his name harshly and Clef's eyes closed as he fell unconscious. Lantis turned as he heard Eagle's footsteps behind him, mixed with Umi's screams.

"Is he all right?" Eagle asked worriedly.

"He's just unconscious," Lantis replied. He looked around at all the soldiers, who had begun to rapidly retreat.

Suddenly, they heard the screams of three women from behind them . . .

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Umi ran towards Clef as she saw him fall and Lantis ran to his aid. She ran past soldiers, but didn't notice a soldier charging towards her. Ascot, who was nearby, saw the soldier, and cried out to Umi as he rushed towards them on his flying beast. Umi heard his cry and quickly stopped, turned, and stood petrified, staring at the soldier as he raced towards her, sword raised. Ascot jumped in front of the attacker, taking the blow of the sword. The sword hit him square in the chest, knocking him from his monster. Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu all screamed as Ascot dropped to the ground. Fuu came up from behind and knocked out the soldier as Umi rushed towards Ascot. She heard Hikaru come from behind as she dropped to her knees beside Ascot's body. He had a deep chest wound, his breathing was shallow.

"Ascot!" Umi cried through tears.

Ascot groaned and opened his eyes slightly. "Umi..."

"Ascot!" Umi cried again. "Why? Why did you save me?"

"Because..." Ascot whispered. "I... love you."

Suddenly, Ascot shuddered once, and his body grew limp.

"Ascot..." Umi whispered. "I'm sorry..." Umi softly laid a kiss on Ascot's lips as his breathing stopped. Tears silently streamed down Umi's face and Hikaru comfortingly gave Umi a small hug. Lantis and Eagle came up from behind, and Lantis supported the now conscious Clef with his arm. Clef fingered the back of his head where the rock he had landed on had assaulted him. Shock was written on his face as he stared at Ascot's body. By now, all the soldiers had retreated.

"Umi..." Clef whispered. He moved away from Lantis's support and leaned against his staff as Umi dove into his arms.

"It's my fault!" Umi sobbed as she buried her face in Clef's chest. "It's all my fault! If he hadn't loved me, this never would have happened!"

Clef tried to comfort her. He tried to assure her it wasn't her fault as he stroked her hair.

Umi looked up at Clef's troubled face. His blue eyes were wide as he stared at Ascot. Umi bit her lip.

"It's alright," she whispered as she touched Clef's cheek. "It's okay to cry."

Clef looked at her with sad eyes and he covered his eyes with his hand. Clef never emitted a sound, but he turned his head downward sadly. Umi looked away as a single line of tears emerged from under his hand.

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Later that night, they had had a proper funeral for Ascot. All during the interment, Clef looked particularly angry. Once they were through, Umi pulled him aside.

"Clef?" Umi asked worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Clef repeated angrily. "My best student is dead, that's what's wrong!"

Umi looked clearly hurt as he said this, and Clef immediately regretted his actions.

"I'm sorry, Umi," he said. "I just—"

"No," Umi interrupted and shook her head sadly. "It must be so difficult for you."

Clef's azure eyes shimmered slightly in compassion and Umi's sapphire eyes seemed to cut through him as she looked at him so sympathetically. Clef averted his gaze in discomfort and focused on a different object on the other side of the room. "It's just not fair."

"I know," Umi whispered as she embraced him tightly and rested her head against his chest.

"Ascot's death..." Clef murmured to himself. "A sacrifice from a love not returned."

"Huh?" Umi looked up at him, confused.

Clef shook his head. "Nothing."

Umi sighed heavily and nestled her face further into Clef's robes. "I'm scared..."

"I know..." Clef whispered as he stroked Umi's hair. She pulled his hand away after a while and looked up into Clef's solemn face. There were dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep and his hair was matted and disheveled from the rain and the harsh beatings of intense combat. Umi shuddered at the thought of how her own hair must have looked.

Clef pulled Umi closer and inhaled her scent. They stood in complete silence, quietly enjoying each other's presence. Umi wrapped her arms around Clef and tugged lightly at the back of his robes. She didn't hesitate to let a single tear slide down her cheek. Clef looked down at her sadly and tilted her chin upwards so he could look at her face. He wiped the tear from her cheek with his thumb and cupped her face in his hand.

"Please don't cry..." Clef whispered. "I never meant to make you cry."

Umi closed her eyes briefly and opened them again. Her eyes were glossy with tears. She shook her head slowly. "You know, the deaths of people in wars never to seem like such a big deal until someone you care about loses their own life in one."

Her words seemed to cut through Clef's heart. He pulled her close and she cried into his robes. She only looked up when he whispered her name.

"Umi..."

Umi looked up into his azure eyes and put two fingers to his lips, her signal for him to be silent. She removed her fingers from his mouth and stood on her toes, bringing her mouth to his. To Clef, the kiss tasted salty from Umi's tears, but he didn't mind. He fingered the sapphire studs in Umi's ears and traced her hairline with his index finger. He pulled her away after a while and touched her cheek gently.

"Come on," he whispered. "I want to show you something."

A look of confusion crossed Umi's face, but Clef took her hand and led her towards the balcony. He pulled her towards the railing and stood behind her, placing his hands on her waist. He gently rested his chin on her shoulder and pointed to the sky.

"See, up there?" Clef asked.

Umi looked in the direction he was pointing and laughed lightly. "What?"

"The moon," Clef answered simply. Umi looked towards the moon to see a thin crescent in the dark sky. Umi smiled softly. "The moon..."

"The moon seems to die and start anew every month. If the moon can start again so often, we can get through this war together."

Umi laughed softly and turned to face Clef. "That sounded so cheesy," she laughed. Clef grinned slightly and stifled a laugh. Umi stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "But, thank you." She leaned towards him and kissed him again under the starlit sky. When they pulled away, Umi rested her head against Clef's chest. Clef stroked her hair, then began to hum a soft melody. The song was slow and mysterious—almost eerie—but beautiful. Umi listened for a while before lifting her head.

"What is that?" she asked.

"What is what?" Clef responded gently.

"That song."

"That?" Clef inquired. "That is a song I have known for a very long time." Clef paused. "Why? Do you want me to stop?"

"Oh, no!" Umi shook her head vigorously. "Please don't stop! It's beautiful."

Clef smiled warmly and began the song over again as Umi repositioned her head against his chest. She closed her eyes and listened to Clef's song peacefully. As her consciousness began to wane, she could barely hear Clef singing the words softly . . .

center"O, hunters of the night

Never sleeping, forever watching

Please watch over me

Gaurdians of the Night

Never resting, always listening

Please light my path

Night hunters..."center

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Whew! This chapter took me so long to write... ^^;; Eh... I know I killed off Ascot... Please don't hurt me! T_T I promise that I have a good reason for doing it. It's a necessary part of the plot... Eh, please no flames... T.T Thank you to all of the reviewers! Please review!