WARNING: The twist in this chapter might get too unbelievable. I advise you to keep an open mind and humor silly bishlov. Clef+Umi fans beware! There are some things hinted that you might not like.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own MKR or any of its characters. CLAMP does. This plot is a product of my overactive imagination.

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UMI'S STORY

By bishounen lovah

Chapter 2

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He surveyed the land with a melancholic smile. How he was going to miss this place! There never was a place more beautiful and peaceful than Cephiro, save that time during the legendary war, but still he was not happy here for his soul belonged somewhere else…or to someone else.

He tried very hard to forget her. He tried to focus on his pets and his training. When Guru Clef quietly passed away, he inherited the master mage's responsibilities without any misgivings, but Ascot never did manage to get over her even though the people of Cephiro barely remembered the legendary knights.

He had never forgotten her. Not her beauty or her feminine laugh or her warm smile. Other people thought her rude and selfish, but he knew otherwise. He had seen the kindness in her. After all, she was the reason why he turned over a new leaf and literally grew up in the process.

But he wasn't mature enough for her. After centuries of soul-searching, he finally decided that it was his childish acts and immaturity that turned her off. That was why she regarded and tolerated him only as a pesky little brother. He may have looked old, but to her, he will always be cute little Ascot.

But that will change. The moment had come to show her the man that he had become, and this time, he would not leave matters unsettled. Come hell or hide, he was going to make her fall in love with him.

He had spent all of the 587 Cephiran years they were separated preparing for this moment.

"Then what am I still doing here," he whispered to the waves crashing onto the shore.

"I was about to ask you that same question."

Ascot didn't have to turn around to know who the speaker was. His new companion, a 15-year-old boy, stepped forward and stood beside him, the staff that was the symbol of magical excellence nestled in his hand. It used to be Ascot's, but he gladly relinquished it once the new master mage was ready, just as his predecessor did with him. That was a year ago in Cephiran calendar and almost four days ago in Earth's time.

"Guru Clef," he glanced at the lavender-haired boy briefly then looked out to the ocean again. The boy was a taller replica of the greatest mage Cephiro had ever seen, never mind that he barely recalled his past life. The boy had the potential of being great just like the original mage was.

Young Clef snorted in response and Ascot had to smile. He recalled that it took him years to get used to being called 'Guru Ascot', but the title had to be passed on just like the staff and the responsibilities of being the master mage.

"So what are you doing here, Guru? Checking up on me? As you can see Cephiro is still the exact way you left it." Clef fussed with his robes then sat on a nearby boulder. He looked at the technically older mage with the curiosity of a boy and the wisdom of a past life. Ascot had chosen to be with the legendary water knight that was why he had relinquished the position to him, but how come he was back here — the land he protected like home but never considered as one? "What is it, my friend, what's bothering you?"

Ascot shrugged. If he had an answer, then he wouldn't be here in the first place. All he knew was that it involved her. And the ever-astute Clef knew it as well.

"Have you seen her yet?" Clef asked.

"Only from afar."

"From afar?" he exclaimed indignantly. "Why haven't you approached her yet? The other two contracts have been fulfilled decades ago."

The other two contracts were those of Kailu Lantis' and Prince Ferio's. Ascot's contract was far more complicated since he was still the Master Mage of Cephiro back then. There was a hidden clause that assigned him as the mediator of the two parties. He was supposed to make sure that the two couples got together first. He was the dream caster and keeper of the past — the person who reminded the four people of their lost love, and in return, his reincarnate on Earth would retain all memories and even some of a mage's powers.

Now that Lantis was with Hikaru and Ferio with Fuu, Ascot had nothing else to do but reunite with his Umi. So why hadn't he?

"Are you afraid to approach her, Ascot?"

Afraid?

"Yes," he whispered back.

Fear was what was holding him back.

Fear of rejection.

He was afraid that she would still remember him as that shy, awkward boy. Afraid that she wouldn't like the man that he had become. Afraid that she would reject his love yet again.

"So your fear is stronger than your love for her," Clef said as he polished the handle of his staff with the cuff of his robe oh-so-innocently.

"I didn't say that," green eyes flashed in warning.

"Well, if that's not the case, why are you here with me and not there with her?" The boy mage sent his companion the ultimate innocent look.

Ascot thought about it for a while, trying to block the whistling sound coming from the irritating child. Was he ever this annoying? Perhaps. But he was never as smart as this boy was.

He had never stopped loving her, and nothing should stop him from loving her. Not fear. Not rejection. Not even the worries that were gnawing through his stomach at this very moment. He had to voice one out.

"This will be the last time you'll see me in Cephiro," Ascot said and met the boy's equally sad eyes. "I won't be able to return. Even if things don't work out on Earth, I won't be able to come back."

"You can't have both worlds, my friend. You've made the right decision choosing her. You always were happiest when you were with her, even if it were just in thoughts, so if I were you, I'd stop worrying and start acting."

"You're right, of course," Ascot smiled. "I'm just being paranoid. I can't believe that after all these years I'd be able to be with her again."

"I've been hearing that from you since the day I was born…or reborn. Why, if I didn't know any better, I'd guess you were being a coward."

"We've already established that fact, child. We'll see if you're still laughing once you fall for a girl of your own."

"No way," young Clef snorted. "Master Mages don't fall in love."

"All living beings fall in love. There are no exceptions. Besides," Ascot smiled some more, "I seem to have noticed a certain brown-haired vixen following you around for the past few years."

"You mean Presea?" Clef snorted again, although this time a blush accompanied his reaction. "She's just annoying me because I wouldn't teach her how to do magic."

"And why not teach her? She seems talented enough."

"No. Not after the way she had died."

Ascot felt the hair on his nape rise. One look at the boy told him that he had a memory relapse. He seemed centuries older. It was the original Clef who spoke. And then, just as suddenly, everything returned to normal.

"What were we talking about again?" Clef looked up at him in confusion, clearly unaware of his change in behavior.

Ascot opted for ignorance. It was no big problem. Clef would be able to handle the relapses in his own way. "Look at you. Fifteen years old and already as forgetful as an old man. Maybe I shouldn't have given you the staff after all. You might misplace it or give it to the Autozam Empire as a gift."

"Hmm, not a bad idea, although I heard Fahren has a new heir. It would be a nice token of goodwill if…hey! I was just joking!" The boy grinned in response to Ascot's frown. "Honestly, Guru, everything is in order. There's nothing to worry about. You've done your duty to Cephiro. It's about time you perform your duty to yourself."

Ascot sighed in agreement. He could feel the transport beginning. His body on Earth was beckoning for his soul to come back. He took one last look at Cephiro then faced his successor and confidante. "Take care, Guru Clef. I have great faith that you'll cherish our land and people more than I ever did."

"And I have great faith that you'll fulfill the contract. Be happy, my friend."

"I will," Ascot promised. Suddenly, a bright column of light broke from the sky and engulfed his entire body.

Goodbye, Cephiro.

--

Something wet and coarse was brushing his face, making it impossible for him to stay asleep. He tried to brush whatever it was away, but it kept on coming back. After a while, Ascot became irritated enough to sit up and glare at the unfortunate thing that had disturbed his sleep.

"Why you little monster! Wait 'til I get my hands on you!" He lunged at his grinning dog, but the sheets tangled with his long legs, causing him to fall face flat on the floor, and then the infuriating dog grinned some more. It barked once, slobbered on Ascot's bare back, barked some more then ran out of the room.

"Ceres! Come back here, you majyuu!" He was able to get untangled enough to lie on his back. He hated mornings because it made him realize that another day of cowardice had passed. He especially hated this morning because he could no longer hide in Cephiro. Even now, he could feel his remaining powers leave him and the doorway between worlds being shut, signs that the clause in his contract was fulfilled.

The dog barked again and Ascot was forced to move. He got up and stretched then proceeded to the kitchen to let Ceres out. Afterwards, he switched on the percolator then decided that breakfast could wait. The shower, more or less, restored his good mood. There was nothing like almost drowning in cold water to clear away the cobwebs in his brain.

He wrapped a towel around his waist and got another one to dry his dripping hair. Looking at his reflection, he still couldn't get over how different he looked from the old Ascot. Take his hair for instance. Though it was still the same chestnut-colored mop, the thinness and shortness made a great difference. His bangs still had the tendency to flop on his forehead, but the locks no longer hid his eyes, just adding an air of mystery that his half-sister said made girls go gaga.

Then there was his physique. He was wiry thin in his past life that was all the more emphasized by his thick robes. Though he could never be as muscular as LaFarga, no one would dare say that he looked weak now. He had developed lean muscles in this life, which he maintained by jogging and lifting weights whenever he had the spare time. With those changes, plus some earth clothes, he looked like a different man, but essentially he was still the same. A little more confident but still the same.

He finished doing his morning ritual with no fuss at all. Vanity never did fit into his character. He had let Ceres in, gave the dog some breakfast then proceeded to make his own. It was natural for him to talk to his pet, so the kitchen was full of one-sided conversation.

"You just had to wake me up earlier this morning, hadn't you? I could have talked to Clef a little bit longer."

Ceres just grunted then ignored his master again.

"I know I should have fixed your door, but if only you could stop eating, maybe you'd stop growing like some wet sponge. Look at you. No wonder you got stuck yesterday. God knows I'm feeding you right, and you always get exercise running around the beach. Honestly, I don't know what I'm going to do with you."

In response, the dog just glanced up, looking like he was begging for more food.

"No. You've had enough. Oh, don't look at me like that. Come on. Out you go. Do whatever it is you need to do. I have the day off so we're going to the city."

Ceres enthusiastically barked and danced to the door as though he understood every word that Ascot said. Maybe he did. At least, Ascot liked to believe that the dog did, just as much as he'd like to believe that he understood the dog's barks and actions.

"Yes we're going to see her again. Today is the day. Before the sun sets, I'm going to talk to her."

Ceres just snorted.

"Oh, get out, you majyuu! Be nice or I'm going to drop you off at the clinic." Ascot tidied up the kitchen, his thoughts venturing toward how loneliness tend to drive a man to the loony bin. It was okay to talk to the dog once in a while but to argue with it and blackmail it were entirely different matters.

I should really get my act together, he thought as he locked the door. I can't go on like this. I can't go on one more day without Umi.

Today.

It had got to be today.

--

He was feeling lucky today.

Yes, he was feeling very lucky indeed.

Sure the weather looked positively dreary, but he hated sunshine anyway. Too bright. The sun was always too bright for him. But this morning the rain clouds looked promising indeed.

She was just like today's weather. Sunny on the outside but behind the smiles was a temperament that could rival any storm. She was as gloomy as the weather, and lately he'd been seeing her tears flow suddenly and freely like an unexpected rain.

No one else had noticed but him. No one cared enough but him. No one knew her more than he did. And no one else will have her but him.

Yes, today was his lucky day.

Today, she would be his.

TBC…

BISHLOV NOTES:

(1) I know, I know. Long time ne? You've got Heart to thank. Reading her fic had put me in a temporary writing mood. I'm warning you guys now: this fic will have a slow development. Reality has bit me hard in the arse so I've got to stay in the real world more often.

(2) If you're confused about anything in this chapter, don't hesitate to say so. I know I said I'll try to make this story self-sufficient but as it happens this chapter is very much connected to the other two stories. If you haven't read them yet then I don't blame you for being confused.

(3) Many thanks to all of those who reviewed. I'm so sorry I kept you waiting. At least this chapter's interesting. That is, to me it's interesting. Might be my fave chapter for this story. But what do you guys think?