Disclaimer: Isn't it obvious already...? I DON'T OWN MKR!! So don't sue!

Woohoo! I told you I'd have it up by Halloween, and I do! Yay! ^_^ Well, here it is. Enjoy!

~*~*~*~*~

Ferio began the merciless battle when he lunged fiercely at Ozumo, brandishing his enormous sword. Ozumo struggled away from the sharp blade, and Ferio nearly lunged into a wall. Lantis was next, and he slashed his sword dangerously close to Ozumo's head. Ozumo darted away, and the blade cut numerous hairs from his ponytail.

"Umi, catch!" Hikaru yelled as she ran forward to join the fight. She tossed Umi her dragon-hilted sword, which she caught.

"Thanks!" she called back. She glanced to her side at Clef briefly. His eyes were cold—she could tell he wanted to torture Ozumo to the fiend's last breath. Clef clutched his shoulder tightly, which was bleeding profusely. Umi gently placed her hand in his.

"Let's go," she said softly.

Clef looked down at her and nodded. His mouth upturned slightly into a small smile. Then, they rushed to join their comrades.

Umi raced forward and caught Ozumo's arm with a single, swift stroke of her sword. He cried out sharply and staggered back, his arm now bleeding. Murder blazed in Umi's eyes and she eagerly fought on.

Behind her, Clef raised his staff high, summoning lightning into his hand and firing bolt by bolt at Ozumo, who desperately tried to dodge the lightning bolts as they rushed towards him. When they had Ozumo cornered against a wall, he finally fought back.

Ozumo picked up a nearby candlestick and held it in front of him threateningly.

Ferio couldn't help but raise a cocky eyebrow at the odd weapon. Ozumo grinned at all of their confused faces. Slowly, the candle began to morph into a long sword with a twisted, curved blade. Lantis's eyes grew wide as he stared at the blade and slowly, everyone turned to serious fighting stances.

"It's an illusion!" Umi gasped. "Don't fall for it!"

Ozumo grinned insanely at her words and lunged forward at a shocking speed, ramming in between Lantis and Ferio and ripping his way through the closure that cornered him. His sword sliced through the small opening.

Ferio and Lantis cried out and they were thrown back by the force of the blade. Ferio stood up slowly, clutching his gashed arm. Blood was running down his arm from the narrow cut in his upper arm.

"An illusion?!" Ferio winced. "Well, it sure as hell doesn't feel like one!"

Lantis grunted in agreement as he stood. "This is no illusion... this is real."

"Fools!" Ozumo hissed. "You're fools—all of you! Do you really think you can even match me?"

"Haven't we proved that we're better than you already?" Umi retorted.

Ozumo glared at her before rushing towards her. His sword clashed with hers with a metallic clack. Umi tried her best to hold her ground, but she was pushed back by the force of his sword. Ozumo grinned menacingly and punched her hard in the stomach. As Umi fell to the ground, she bent over and her mouth filled with a metallic taste. As she heard Clef come rushing to her rescue, she spat blood onto the ground. Trying to catch her breath, she looked up to see Clef fighting back with Ozumo, using his staff as a sword. Slowly, he began pushing Ozumo back towards a window with his staff.

Ozumo jumped onto the window ledge, with no where to go. Clef glared coldly at the man and Ozumo's eyes grew large as Clef summoned his magic and pushed Ozumo back with a lightning bolt. With a loud cry, Ozumo fell, but he grabbed the window ledge to save himself. He looked down at the ten-story drop with wide eyes. Pieces of rock crumbled under his weight and fell to the rocky surface below.

Clef jumped on top of the window ledge and stepped firmly on Ozumo's hand. "May you rot in Hell, you worthless bastard!"

Then, Umi came up behind him and stepped onto the window ledge herself. Her foot replaced Clef's on top of Ozumo's hand. Ozumo winced under the pressure.

"Umi," Clef mumbled. "You do the honors..."

Umi's expression remained unchanged. "With pleasure."

Just as Umi was about to push Ozumo off the ledge, Clef saw Ozumo grin. It was then that he realized that their slimy foe had a plan. As Umi wedged Ozumo's hand off the ledge, Clef cried out suddenly and lunged forward, "Wait!"

But it was too late. Clef nearly lost his balance on the windowsill, and Ferio and Lantis ran up behind him, grabbing both his arms to save him from plummeting to his own death. However, Clef could only watch with wide azure eyes as Ozumo fell and shifted into a bird before flying away limply. The black bird's left wing was damaged and it hung slightly as he bird flew.

Umi's eyes glowed with rage. "Coward!" she screamed. She slipped off the windowsill angrily. "Coward!!"

"C'mon, Clef," Ferio said, pulling the mage's arm. Clef looked down at the prince before stepping down.

"Damn it," Clef muttered before turning away from them. His eyes glowed with defeat.

"I'm sorry," Umi mumbled. "I shouldn't have let him go."

"No," Clef replied, turning towards her. "You are not the one at fault. That man is nothing but a coward. Next time, he will pay for what he did."

Umi nodded and Fuu came up behind her.

"Come on," Fuu said softly. "It's really late. We should all probably get to bed."

"Right," Umi muttered as she took Clef's arm. She smiled slightly. "Good night."

Everyone mumbled a solemn "good night" in reply, and Clef led Umi back to her room.

~*~*~*~*~

"Well, I'll see you in the morning," Clef said to Umi, outside her bedroom door.

"No!" Umi cried as she flung her arms around Clef's waist. "Don't leave! Too much has happened tonight... Please don't leave me!"

Clef's eyes softened and he pulled her back to look into her face. "I'll never leave you."

Umi smiled and grabbed Clef's hand, dragging him inside. She shut the door gently and embraced Clef tightly. Suddenly, she noticed the gash on Clef's arm. She touched the wound gingerly, and Clef flinched.

"It's alright," Clef said softly. "Really!"

Umi smiled softly and kissed his cheek before making her way over to her bed and climbing under the soft blue sheets. She watched as Clef walked over to a fluffy armchair in a corner and removed his headdress, setting on a table nearby. As he flopped into the chair with a tired sigh, lavender locks fell into his face.

Umi sat upright in her bed. "What are you doing?"

Clef raised an eyebrow. "Making myself comfortable in this chair. Good night."

Umi giggled and moved over to one side of the bed. She threw aside the covers on the opposite side and cocked her head to one side suggestively.

Clef laughed lightly and lifted himself from his seat. He laid down in the bed, next to Umi, and she nestled her head into a pillow before nestling her face against his chest. Burying his head in Umi's soft blue hair, Clef finally went to sleep.

~*~*~*~*~

Ozumo materialized in front of Shimizu and dropped to the ground. Blood dripped down his arm and his breathing was heavy.

"Mistress, I—!" he managed to sputter out.

"Fool!" Shimizu yelled. "There are no excuses!"

"But Shimizu-sama—!"

"Shut up!" Shimizu roared again, her emerald eyes flaring. "Not only did you not kill the demon slayer, but you failed to even slightly incapacitate the mage! You're lucky I'm not going to kill you now!"

"Just give me another chance!" Ozumo pleaded.

Shimizu glared at the cowering shape-shifter. "Fine, but you will not be able to enter the castle again..." Shimizu paused. "At least, with their knowledge..."

"Mistress...?" a small smile grew on Ozumo's face. "Of course, Mistress. Consider it done!"

And with that, Ozumo vanished.

Shimizu glared at the spot where the shape-shifter had been. "It better be done," she growled. "Or it's your throat!"

~*~*~*~*~

Yay! Chappie 5 is done! ^^ I don't know when I'll have Ch.6 up, I've got writer's block! T_T (I hate writer's block, don't you?) Well, here's some review responses:

shazzam: Thanks for your comments! ^^ Hope you liked this chapter!

Yun Fei, RuByMoOn17, a n g e l . w 1 n g , hyper*italian*gurl: Thanks for reviewing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Sab - Clef Lover: Thank you so much for your support!

hikaru_29: LOL You're exactly right!

CrazyIceTenshi: Yes... creepy is my top goal for this fic... And I found it hard to imagine Clef's eyes like that, too...

Schizotypal Cheesecake: Yay! Thanks for checking out my fan art! ^^

inu87yasha: Yeah... writer's block sucks... Well, good luck with your writer's block!

Well, I think that's all of them... I hope everyone like the chapter! ^_^ PLEASE REVIEW!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!!