Chapter Ten

They landed in the woods and walked through all day, looking for something to strike the remaining two's memories. There was nothing though, no spark or message or anything. They were just all smiles and blank stares. The others tried not to be disappointed as they mounted and set off toward the castle once more. They tried to smile and act as if they weren't worried or scared, but the act wasn't a strong one.

Umi and Fuu walked back into the castle in quiet conversation about the disappointment they had caused.

"I wish we could remember for them," Fuu muttered softly, and Umi nodded in agreement.

"I know."

*

Hikaru laughed as she finished the duel with a tie. She heard the others come into the castle, regaining her telepathy with the people of her country and told the people in the practice court that they were back. She turned and sprinted up the steps and through the castle halls to run into Umi and Fuu.

"Umi-chan, Fuu-chan," she laughed and hugged them. "What shall we do now that you have your memories back?"

They turned their heads down, and Umi looked at Hikaru's torn face for a split second while she mumbled, "We don't have our memories back Hikaru."

"What?" the smile fell from her face, and she looked confused. "What do you mean? Of course you do! How can you not?"

"I don't know okay?" Umi screamed. "We just don't!"

Hikaru looked even more pained and apologized.

"No I'm sorry Hikaru," Umi put a hand on the shorter girl's shoulder. "I wish that we could remember for you, but we can't. There's been nothing."

"Yet," Fuu interjected hopefully. "All hope is not lost."

"Then we'll just have to find something to make you remember," Hikaru's spirits were renewed, and she grinned impishly at the two. "If those two couldn't I mean…"

"What?" they asked, but Hikaru shook her head slyly and turned back down the hall.

"See you at dinner!" she called over her shoulder, and they nodded, still a bit confused, and headed toward their rooms.

*

"I can't make a speech to Nobles!" Umi shouted when Caldina brought her the news. "I don't even know these people and I'm supposed to lie to them and pretend I have my memory back?"

Caldina winced, "Well, not lying per say…"

"It is so lying!" Umi raved.

"You have to, they need to be reassured that a second darkness doesn't fall over them."

"A second darkness is falling over them!" Umi spun and glared at Clef who stood in the door when she heard his voice.

Caldina winced, bowed and shuffled out, "Call me when you're ready to get changed Umi-hime."

"Yes, but for them to fight it they have to know that you are who you are. They have to be assured that you are the Princess' that will save Cephiro once more," Clef argued back, and Umi shook her head.

"We didn't save them before, from what I've heard. All we did was run," she glared at him, and he nodded and tried to explain.

"But you've saved them many times. You saved them when there were attacks from Autozam and Chizeta, you saved them when Emeraude and Zagato were falling in love and Cephiro was failing. You've done all this for them, and they trust you with their lives. But for them to be willing to fight they have to know it's you. If that means a little white lie until you do get your memories back, then…so be it."

Umi looked at him and nodded, "Fine," she muttered, and he smiled softly and bowed.

"Arigato, Umi-hime," he walked out and summoned Caldina for her who sighed gratefully and reentered.

"So, about your outfit…"

*

"So I have to pretend I'm a Princess," Fuu looked at Ferio, and he nodded. "And I have to pretend that I know what I'm talking about when I really don't…"

He nodded again, "Look, I know that it's going to be difficult, but I have all the faith in the world in your capabilities."

'Look at me,' he thought to himself, 'being so formal. This is Fuu-chan, and I'm talking like a stupid Noble!'

"I guess I could at least try," she sighed and didn't like deceiving, but she felt Ferio wouldn't ask it of her unless it was of utmost importance.

"Oh and one more thing," Ferio turned to her as he was about to walk out, and she looked up at him.

"Hai?"

"You have to come in on my arm and eat with me and at least let me have one dance."

"What?" she blushed, and he grinned, his normal grin. He winked then, and walked out. She was still blushing as he left.

She walked to the closet and pulled out the most gorgeous dress she could find; she wanted to look presentable for F…the Nobles.

*

Hikaru paced the room and Lantis and Eagle offered encouraging words. She screamed in aggravation and threw her hands into the air. The dress she wore had flaring arms and they floated gracefully downward with her rapid movements. "I'm supposed to get up there and lie to my people? I'm suppose to get up there and tell them that Umi-chan and Fuu-chan and I are back to normal, that the Kingdom's safe? It's not!"

"Hikaru-hime, it's okay," Eagle tried, but she shook her head.

"No Eagle, it's not."

"It's vital to the stability of the country," Lantis tried another approach.

"Lantis is right," Eagle added, and Lantis eyed him suspiciously but didn't say a word, only grunted. "Guru Clef wouldn't have wanted it if it wasn't for a very good reason. None of us like lying to them either."

Lantis would have laughed at this except it wasn't funny, and he wasn't one to laugh.

Hikaru sat on her bed and put her head in her hands miserably, "I guess I'll have to do it then, if both of you think I should."

They both nodded, and she nodded in return and sighed heavily. She stood and offered an arm to each of them, "Then will you escort me to dinner?"

"I'm sorry Hime, I'll have to give the honor to Lantis tonight. I have things to…attend to," Eagle put her arm on Lantis', and she looked at him worried and confused. He grinned at her and walked out. Lantis watched him with a deep suspicion as he went. Hikaru watched Lantis, confused even more.

"Lantis?" she asked, but he shook his head.

"Shall we go?"

She nodded, and they walked out and down to dinner.

*

"They're having a grand dinner tonight," Eagle appeared in front of her. There were deep circles around his eyes in the eerie half-light. "The Knights are going to speak to the Nobles, lie to the Nobles. Umi and Fuu have yet to recover their memories. They will be vulnerable."

She laughed insanely, "So they haven't have they? Well well well, they're lying to their closest allies, bad idea. I think I'll drop by their little party and see what they're offering. Maybe I'll change the minds of some of their dear dear friends," she kissed him lightly and then left. He quickly returned to the palace and slipped into a seat next to Hikaru, smiling warmly at her and looking around him. Lantis noticed, and his eyes never left his best friend. There was something wrong in his eyes.

Halfway through the dinner Hikaru stood, and rang her glass with a small fork used for some sort of seafood that closely resembled crab. The other two stood and followed her example, and there was a quick hush around the room so that Umi and Fuu blushed heavily.

All eyes were on them, and Hikaru began to get nervous. Umi and Fuu looked around hesitantly and smiled warmly at people that they should know but didn't. Fuu looked to Ferio who smiled encouragingly, but she couldn't find strength even in that.

"People of Cephiro," Hikaru began, but there was no hesitance on her face. Eagle and Lantis looked back and forth nervously. "You have all suffered a horrible loss."

The people nodded solemnly but stayed silent.

"And I hate to think it was at our hands…"

"Never Hikaru-hime!" shouts when up, and she smiled at her people, the smile that had won their hearts so long ago.

"All the same," she began again. "We fled when we should have stayed. We left you to defend our country. That was wrong, and I'm going to apologize for it by saying this, with the new Darkness close at hand we will not flee. We will stay and fight."

There were gasps, and Lantis and Eagle sighed heavily and shook their heads.

Clef's eyes narrowed, and Ferio buried his head in his hands.

"New Darkness?" a Noblewoman shrieked.

"And I can't lie to you and tell you we're fully prepared," Hikaru said softly. "We're close, but we're not yet there. Umi-chan and Fuu-chan have not yet recovered their memories, but it's going to be soon, isn't that right Clef-san?"

By this time Clef's eyes were virtually popping from his head, "R-right," he stumbled and tried not to glower at Hikaru as calm engulfed him, and he regained his composure.

"Well what will we do if…" someone started, and their sentence was finished by the most unlikely of characters. A woman, her gown was glittering white and her long blond hair fell down her shoulders in curly waves. Her eyes were bright green and sparkled with mischief and anger. Her form was sleek and curvy. The three girls stared at her as she entered the door and stood at the end of the table. Everyone turned to look, and she smiled a hateful smile.

"Hai?" Hikaru blinked, wondering where this woman had come from.

"Hikaru-hime," she smiled softly and cruelly at the same time. "We finally meet."

"Back away," Clef ordered sharply, and everyone was startled as Nobles fled from their seats. His staff had an eerie blue glow already beginning to surround it. "I banished you once and I will not hesitate to do it again."

"Oh but Clef," she pouted, her lips forming into a mock playfulness, "It really is so dismal on that side of the world. I want to stay here and play with you." Her hand opened and a ball of purple magic was thrown toward him. He closed his eyes and mumbled a few words under his breath and a shield appeared around him and those near him. The magic was easily deflected. She sneered but didn't look at all worried. Her eyes turned from Clef and his staff, but her hand stayed put, she was constantly watching the Master Mage for a sneak attack. She let her eyes drift toward the other two girls though. Immediately Ferio and Ascot stepped in front of Fuu and Umi. She laughed and opened her hand toward them. Clef immediately shielded the two boys, which made her giggle in joy as she disappeared quickly and appeared on the other side. Clef's eyes flew open but his magic was too late as she hit the girl's vulnerable backs and had them sprawling on the ground in anguish.

"My dear Guru, it seems you're losing your edge," she laughed cruelly. "After 745 years though I don't see how you couldn't."

"You are older than me by centuries," he spat as Lantis stopped Hikaru from coming to the aid of her friends.

She hid a fake giggle behind a gloved hand, "Ooh, well than that makes it all the better. Centuries older and I'm still stronger, and we all know I look better," she looked at all the faces of the cowering Nobles, as if expecting an answer. "Well," she looked down at Umi and pulled her up with a wave of purple magic. "You think so don't you?" she asked Umi once she had grabbed her by the throat. "You know something about beauty don't you?"

"Let her go," Ascot was grinding his teeth so badly that he could barely speak through them. He had his hand raised but could use no magic in fear of hitting Umi.

"Your vendetta is with me, not with them," Clef couldn't contain the worry in his eyes.

"My vendetta is with all of Cephiro, mostly with them," she spat and threw Umi to the floor in disgust. "I only hate you for trapping me there, I hate them for the sentence."

"We're-we're sorry for whatever we've done," Fuu begged quietly, on her knees now. "Just please don't hurt anyone."

A new light shone in the woman's eyes, a sick one, full of pure anger, "Please don't hurt anyone," she mocked. "The all forgiving Wind Knight, it's been a long while since I had the pleasure of seeing you cower to me. You weren't all forgiving when you ordered me there were you! Do you know what it's like? Do have to live off of other people's misery to survive? To have to be the strongest always in fear of someone eating you first?"

Fuu's eyes widened in fear, and her lip began to tremble.

"Didn't think so, all you've known is your precious beautiful Cephiro, but you don't even remember that now do you?" she turned her head in disgust. "You don't even remember him do you?" she looked at Ferio who's eyes were rolling in terror. He searched the room, from Clef to Lantis to Ascot. They all knew what he stood to lose if the woman said something about Fuu's past. They all prayed that she wouldn't.

"Of course I remember him!" Fuu shouted, and everyone's eyes shot up, but the realization dawned on Ferio when he saw that her eyes hadn't glazed over in sudden memory. She was merely acting; he couldn't help but let his heart drop and be pushed back into his stomach.

"Away!" Clef shouted suddenly and with a force and blast of magic forced her to the ground. She stood heavily and glared at him, but they saw her weakness.

Hikaru closed her eyes and raised her hands as Clef raised his staff, "Akai…" she began, but she didn't finish because the woman had gone, fleeing from the Magic Knight of Fire and the Master Mage, the two strongest spell masters in all of Cephiro.