Part Two.
When the three girls appeared in Cephiro, they were in the castle alright, but as always there was a tiny technical hitch - this time, it was the fact they appeared in mid-air. The next thing they knew, they were falling towards what looked like very hard ground. Hikaru yelled, Umi gasped and Fuu screamed. Hikari pricked his ears and began barking like mad.
Fuu landed in the arms of the King of Cephiro, exactly where she wanted to be. She gazed into his amber eyes, and let out a long breath of relief and delight. "Ferio-kun! I was so scared-!"
He hugged her to him, muttering, "We really have to sort out your transportation method, before you get seriously injured."
Fuu nodded. "I'll talk to Mokona. Well, I'll put the matter to him, I don't know if I'll get any reply."
Ferio grinned at her. "It's good to have you back, my sylph." He kissed her lovingly. Fuu sighed and kissed him back, wholeheartedly agreeing.
Meanwhile, Hikaru found herself held tightly in the arms of Lantis. This would have been nice, except for one unfortunate fact: Hikari was in Lantis' arms as well. The dog froze and looked at the knight. Lantis' strong resemblance to Hikaru's father confused him for one vital moment, long enough for Lantis to put the dog down gently, whilst still holding Hikaru. Hikari tested the floor and found it solid: he then focused on a small hovering pink-and-green insect right before his nose. This, of course, was Primera. Primera had no idea what this creature was, but she intended to find out. However, her method of poking Hikari in the nose left a little to be desired. Hikari's white, gleaming, pointed teeth closed right in front of her. Primera screamed and took off, another mistake, because Hikari loved to chase things, especially small buzzing things. They zoomed round and round Lantis' legs. Lantis didn't even notice. He was gazing into Hikaru's eyes.
Hikaru looked back, totally silent. Whilst on Earth, it was easy to tell herself that she looked on Lantis just like another brother, and that he was a great friend, a noble knight, a great warrior. But being in his arms smashed this fine theory to pieces.
Umi had not been so lucky. She had ended up on the floor: well, not literally on the floor. Her fall had actually been broken, fortunately for her, unfortunately for Clef. He groaned as she offered him a hand up, his lilac hair falling all over his face, his robes pulled around his body. "Thank-you, Umi-san."
"I. I. you're welcome!" she blurted, then fled, mortified, hands over her face.
"Umi-san?! Wait - the door-!"
It was too late. As she was running, Umi had glanced back at Clef, because he had called her name. At that moment, Ascot had opened the door, and she had run straight into it. It seemed to Clef that everything went into slow motion, as Umi fell back towards the floor and he ran forwards. He flung his staff forward and cried out one word: "Akula!"
Umi's body stopped, floating in mid-air as he reached her. Her eyes were closed, and a thin snake of blood trickled down her left cheek. A massive bruise was slowly forming over her left eye. Clef healed the cut and gazed intently at the bruise. Fuu and Ferio hurried over. Hikari stopped chasing Primera and bounded over, whining, his nose quivering. Clef blinked at this new creature, then scratched him behind the ear, automatically. Hikari's eyes fluttered and his tail began to wag from side to side, slow and steady.
"Umi-chan!" Fuu cried, afraid to touch her, one hand hovering in front of her friend's face.
Ascot was in a state of shock, his face ghostly white, his body shaking. Ferio quickly made him sit down and got him a stiff drink.
"Umi-san," Ascot muttered. "Umi-san. Umi-san's."
"I know, I know," Ferio soothed. "Now drink this, there's a good chap."
Ascot took the glass without even looking and knocked it back. He immediately choked and bent over, coughing. Ferio patted him on the back.
Clef had finished his examination. "She'll be unconscious for a while, and probably suffer a mild concussion, but I don't think there will be any serious consequences," he finished, still scratching Hikari behind the ear. The dog was nearly on the floor by now, his tongue hanging out of his mouth, his tail sweeping from side to side.
Hikaru had finally managed to extract herself from Lantis' arms and make her way over. She looked at Clef with respect. "Hikari really likes you," she commented.
"He's a nice. thing," Clef replied, glancing at the happy dog. "What *is* he anyway?"
"A dog. Something humans keep to guard their possessions, but he's my friend and we look after each other," Hikaru added.
Clef looked at the tiny Magic Knight, only a few inches taller than him, then the fiery dog, who was exactly her height. The creature must be rather big for its species, he surmised, but it seemed pleasant and certainly intelligent. Maybe it would be useful to guard Umi. It certainly seemed concerned about her, from the look in its eyes. Why *had* she run away? She certainly couldn't be scared of him.
"Poor Umi-chan," Fuu murmured. "She must have been so embarrassed."
"Why?" Clef demanded.
"She fell on top of you!" Hikaru pointed out. "It's not like you could even catch her, and she respects you so much."
Clef frowned and looked away. "I could have caught if I'd had more time."
"But she's twice your size, how could you - ow! Lantis, why did you elbow me? Oh. Gomen nasai, Guru Clef-san, I wasn't thinking."
Clef shook his head. "No, Hikaru-san, don't apologise. It's a perfectly reasonable question. I would not have been able to catch her in my arms, but given more time, I could have stopped her falling using the same magic, thus avoiding this terrible incident." He gazed sadly at the unconscious blue maiden and sighed. "Even with all my power, I cannot protect the ones I care for." he murmured.
"Guru? Did you say something?" Ferio asked, curious.
Clef seemed to twitch and a faint redness crept into his cheeks. "No, nothing."
Primera zoomed up to look into his face. "Why are you blushing?"
"I'm not!"
"Are too."
"Primera." said Lantis.
"But he is, he's bright red - aaaaaaaaaaargh!"
Hikari had noticed the bright buzzing thing and snapped again.
"Get your vicious beast away from me, Magic Knight!" Primera yelled as Hikari bounded after her, barking happily and trying to snatch her out of the air.
Hikaru shrugged. "He thinks you're food."
"I MOST CERTAINLY AM NOT! DESIST, YOU ANIMAL! LAAAAANNNNNTTIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS!"
Lantis ignored her. So did everyone else. Hikari carried on his chase, utterly happy.
"Guru. you are blushing," said Ferio, slightly surprised.
Clef decided to exit with whatever dignity he had left, but was prevented by a slight moan from Umi. Her eyelids fluttered. Clef stared at her face for a moment, then at the others, once again completely in control of himself. "We must get her to her room. Ferio, if you would."
Ferio nodded and tried to pick Umi up, but found that she was frozen in position. "The magic. won't let go."
This time, Clef went very red. "Ah. I see. Well, I. I suppose I'll just have to support her until we can put her into a proper bed."
Everybody nodded, trying not to make any remarks about Clef's red cheeks. They all followed Umi out of the room as she floated along on thin air, Clef walking beside her face in case she woke up.
However, Umi didn't wake up until she was safely in bed and Clef's face had returned to its usual pallor. Hikaru and Fuu held their breaths as the clear blue eyes slowly opened. The pupils were slightly dilated, indicating the concussion which Clef had predicted. Hikari whined again and started licking her hand with a large pink tongue. Umi blinked and turned her head slowly, wincing.
"Hikari?" she murmured, as the red-gold dog whined at her.
"Does your neck hurt?" Clef asked anxiously, touching the area with his cool quick fingers.
"A little. . . Clef-san. . . what happened? My head. . ." She touched the bruise and winced, quickly pulling her hand away.
"Ascot opened the door as you looked back and it hit you," Clef explained gently.
"Gomen nasai, Umi-san!" Ascot cried, falling to his knees beside the bed. "I had no idea. . . please forgive me. . ."
Umi frowned a little. "Ascot-kun. . . please, get up. I don't blame you one little bit. Oh, my head. . ."
Ferio dragged the sobbing Ascot away before he could blurt out any more apologies and pleas for forgiveness, muttering about the drink not being 'strong enough'. Fuu stepped forward. "Daijobu desu ka, Umi-chan?"
Umi managed a pale smile. "Hai, Fuu-chan. . . daijobu. Where's Hikaru- chan?"
"Here, Umi-chan," Hikaru said quickly, leaning forward beside Fuu so that Umi could see her. "It's a good thing Clef-san stopped you falling, otherwise it might have been much worse."
Clef cleared his throat as Umi looked at him. "It was nothing," he muttered. "I couldn't let you be injured any more over me."
Umi felt her heart flutter a little, and told it to hush. He was just being polite, concerned, as he would if any of them hurt themselves. It meant nothing, she told herself. Her eyelids fluttered.
"I must ask everyone to leave the room, Umi-san needs rest. She will be better by tomorrow, but until then she needs complete peace and quiet," Clef added, gazing down at Hikari to make sure the dog heard the message. Hikari flattened his ears and lay down on the ground to show that, as far as he was concerned, Clef was top dog, no questions asked. Clef nodded to himself, satisfied.
Everybody filed out of the room, Lantis quietly slipping an arm around Hikaru's shoulders as Hikari sniffed at him with great interest. Hikaru blushed but tried not to let him see that. Fuu glanced back at Umi before hurrying off after Ferio (who was probably getting Ascot very drunk). Clef shut the door on them all and let out a huge sigh. He would have given anything to be as tall as Lantis, or even Ferio, to be able to catch Umi within his arms and gaze upon that pale, perfect face, those lucid blue eyes. . . Clef seated himself beside the bed, took one of Umi's warm limp hands and sat down to wait the long evening out.
When the three girls appeared in Cephiro, they were in the castle alright, but as always there was a tiny technical hitch - this time, it was the fact they appeared in mid-air. The next thing they knew, they were falling towards what looked like very hard ground. Hikaru yelled, Umi gasped and Fuu screamed. Hikari pricked his ears and began barking like mad.
Fuu landed in the arms of the King of Cephiro, exactly where she wanted to be. She gazed into his amber eyes, and let out a long breath of relief and delight. "Ferio-kun! I was so scared-!"
He hugged her to him, muttering, "We really have to sort out your transportation method, before you get seriously injured."
Fuu nodded. "I'll talk to Mokona. Well, I'll put the matter to him, I don't know if I'll get any reply."
Ferio grinned at her. "It's good to have you back, my sylph." He kissed her lovingly. Fuu sighed and kissed him back, wholeheartedly agreeing.
Meanwhile, Hikaru found herself held tightly in the arms of Lantis. This would have been nice, except for one unfortunate fact: Hikari was in Lantis' arms as well. The dog froze and looked at the knight. Lantis' strong resemblance to Hikaru's father confused him for one vital moment, long enough for Lantis to put the dog down gently, whilst still holding Hikaru. Hikari tested the floor and found it solid: he then focused on a small hovering pink-and-green insect right before his nose. This, of course, was Primera. Primera had no idea what this creature was, but she intended to find out. However, her method of poking Hikari in the nose left a little to be desired. Hikari's white, gleaming, pointed teeth closed right in front of her. Primera screamed and took off, another mistake, because Hikari loved to chase things, especially small buzzing things. They zoomed round and round Lantis' legs. Lantis didn't even notice. He was gazing into Hikaru's eyes.
Hikaru looked back, totally silent. Whilst on Earth, it was easy to tell herself that she looked on Lantis just like another brother, and that he was a great friend, a noble knight, a great warrior. But being in his arms smashed this fine theory to pieces.
Umi had not been so lucky. She had ended up on the floor: well, not literally on the floor. Her fall had actually been broken, fortunately for her, unfortunately for Clef. He groaned as she offered him a hand up, his lilac hair falling all over his face, his robes pulled around his body. "Thank-you, Umi-san."
"I. I. you're welcome!" she blurted, then fled, mortified, hands over her face.
"Umi-san?! Wait - the door-!"
It was too late. As she was running, Umi had glanced back at Clef, because he had called her name. At that moment, Ascot had opened the door, and she had run straight into it. It seemed to Clef that everything went into slow motion, as Umi fell back towards the floor and he ran forwards. He flung his staff forward and cried out one word: "Akula!"
Umi's body stopped, floating in mid-air as he reached her. Her eyes were closed, and a thin snake of blood trickled down her left cheek. A massive bruise was slowly forming over her left eye. Clef healed the cut and gazed intently at the bruise. Fuu and Ferio hurried over. Hikari stopped chasing Primera and bounded over, whining, his nose quivering. Clef blinked at this new creature, then scratched him behind the ear, automatically. Hikari's eyes fluttered and his tail began to wag from side to side, slow and steady.
"Umi-chan!" Fuu cried, afraid to touch her, one hand hovering in front of her friend's face.
Ascot was in a state of shock, his face ghostly white, his body shaking. Ferio quickly made him sit down and got him a stiff drink.
"Umi-san," Ascot muttered. "Umi-san. Umi-san's."
"I know, I know," Ferio soothed. "Now drink this, there's a good chap."
Ascot took the glass without even looking and knocked it back. He immediately choked and bent over, coughing. Ferio patted him on the back.
Clef had finished his examination. "She'll be unconscious for a while, and probably suffer a mild concussion, but I don't think there will be any serious consequences," he finished, still scratching Hikari behind the ear. The dog was nearly on the floor by now, his tongue hanging out of his mouth, his tail sweeping from side to side.
Hikaru had finally managed to extract herself from Lantis' arms and make her way over. She looked at Clef with respect. "Hikari really likes you," she commented.
"He's a nice. thing," Clef replied, glancing at the happy dog. "What *is* he anyway?"
"A dog. Something humans keep to guard their possessions, but he's my friend and we look after each other," Hikaru added.
Clef looked at the tiny Magic Knight, only a few inches taller than him, then the fiery dog, who was exactly her height. The creature must be rather big for its species, he surmised, but it seemed pleasant and certainly intelligent. Maybe it would be useful to guard Umi. It certainly seemed concerned about her, from the look in its eyes. Why *had* she run away? She certainly couldn't be scared of him.
"Poor Umi-chan," Fuu murmured. "She must have been so embarrassed."
"Why?" Clef demanded.
"She fell on top of you!" Hikaru pointed out. "It's not like you could even catch her, and she respects you so much."
Clef frowned and looked away. "I could have caught if I'd had more time."
"But she's twice your size, how could you - ow! Lantis, why did you elbow me? Oh. Gomen nasai, Guru Clef-san, I wasn't thinking."
Clef shook his head. "No, Hikaru-san, don't apologise. It's a perfectly reasonable question. I would not have been able to catch her in my arms, but given more time, I could have stopped her falling using the same magic, thus avoiding this terrible incident." He gazed sadly at the unconscious blue maiden and sighed. "Even with all my power, I cannot protect the ones I care for." he murmured.
"Guru? Did you say something?" Ferio asked, curious.
Clef seemed to twitch and a faint redness crept into his cheeks. "No, nothing."
Primera zoomed up to look into his face. "Why are you blushing?"
"I'm not!"
"Are too."
"Primera." said Lantis.
"But he is, he's bright red - aaaaaaaaaaargh!"
Hikari had noticed the bright buzzing thing and snapped again.
"Get your vicious beast away from me, Magic Knight!" Primera yelled as Hikari bounded after her, barking happily and trying to snatch her out of the air.
Hikaru shrugged. "He thinks you're food."
"I MOST CERTAINLY AM NOT! DESIST, YOU ANIMAL! LAAAAANNNNNTTIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS!"
Lantis ignored her. So did everyone else. Hikari carried on his chase, utterly happy.
"Guru. you are blushing," said Ferio, slightly surprised.
Clef decided to exit with whatever dignity he had left, but was prevented by a slight moan from Umi. Her eyelids fluttered. Clef stared at her face for a moment, then at the others, once again completely in control of himself. "We must get her to her room. Ferio, if you would."
Ferio nodded and tried to pick Umi up, but found that she was frozen in position. "The magic. won't let go."
This time, Clef went very red. "Ah. I see. Well, I. I suppose I'll just have to support her until we can put her into a proper bed."
Everybody nodded, trying not to make any remarks about Clef's red cheeks. They all followed Umi out of the room as she floated along on thin air, Clef walking beside her face in case she woke up.
However, Umi didn't wake up until she was safely in bed and Clef's face had returned to its usual pallor. Hikaru and Fuu held their breaths as the clear blue eyes slowly opened. The pupils were slightly dilated, indicating the concussion which Clef had predicted. Hikari whined again and started licking her hand with a large pink tongue. Umi blinked and turned her head slowly, wincing.
"Hikari?" she murmured, as the red-gold dog whined at her.
"Does your neck hurt?" Clef asked anxiously, touching the area with his cool quick fingers.
"A little. . . Clef-san. . . what happened? My head. . ." She touched the bruise and winced, quickly pulling her hand away.
"Ascot opened the door as you looked back and it hit you," Clef explained gently.
"Gomen nasai, Umi-san!" Ascot cried, falling to his knees beside the bed. "I had no idea. . . please forgive me. . ."
Umi frowned a little. "Ascot-kun. . . please, get up. I don't blame you one little bit. Oh, my head. . ."
Ferio dragged the sobbing Ascot away before he could blurt out any more apologies and pleas for forgiveness, muttering about the drink not being 'strong enough'. Fuu stepped forward. "Daijobu desu ka, Umi-chan?"
Umi managed a pale smile. "Hai, Fuu-chan. . . daijobu. Where's Hikaru- chan?"
"Here, Umi-chan," Hikaru said quickly, leaning forward beside Fuu so that Umi could see her. "It's a good thing Clef-san stopped you falling, otherwise it might have been much worse."
Clef cleared his throat as Umi looked at him. "It was nothing," he muttered. "I couldn't let you be injured any more over me."
Umi felt her heart flutter a little, and told it to hush. He was just being polite, concerned, as he would if any of them hurt themselves. It meant nothing, she told herself. Her eyelids fluttered.
"I must ask everyone to leave the room, Umi-san needs rest. She will be better by tomorrow, but until then she needs complete peace and quiet," Clef added, gazing down at Hikari to make sure the dog heard the message. Hikari flattened his ears and lay down on the ground to show that, as far as he was concerned, Clef was top dog, no questions asked. Clef nodded to himself, satisfied.
Everybody filed out of the room, Lantis quietly slipping an arm around Hikaru's shoulders as Hikari sniffed at him with great interest. Hikaru blushed but tried not to let him see that. Fuu glanced back at Umi before hurrying off after Ferio (who was probably getting Ascot very drunk). Clef shut the door on them all and let out a huge sigh. He would have given anything to be as tall as Lantis, or even Ferio, to be able to catch Umi within his arms and gaze upon that pale, perfect face, those lucid blue eyes. . . Clef seated himself beside the bed, took one of Umi's warm limp hands and sat down to wait the long evening out.