Chapter Two: Cephiro

"The Tokyo Tower again?" someone whined. "We've been going there since we were freshmen! Don't you think we should do something different senior year?"

"What are our parents paying you for?" someone else chorused.

Normally, Umi's would be thrown into that sea of voices, but not today, not this time. She felt drawn to the Tower, and she couldn't help but let her hands linger on her backpack that contained all six precious comics, a nightgown, a week of clothes and a few other personal affects. Something in her told her this was real, and she was leaving.

§§§~~~

"How is this educational four years in a row?" someone on the bus asked the teacher politely.

"There's always something new to learn about your city," the teacher answered patiently.

Fuu's eyes fell over her bag; there was always something new to learn about Tokyo Tower, like the fact that it had a portal to another realm. She would have laughed at her childish behavior except it wasn't funny. She was either a.) very crazy, or b.) in for the adventure of a lifetime.

She only hoped it was b, because if it wasn't she would have a lot of explaining to do to herself and her family.

§§§~~~

Hikaru's bus was full of disorder, songs and paper fights. Everyone was trying to out scream everyone on the bus. Hikaru normally partook in these rituals, but today she was strangely silent.

"Hikaru, is something wrong?" the boy next to her asked, and she drew her eyes away from the glass and smiled warmly at him.

"No, why?"

"You're just…quiet," he said, for lack of a better word.

"Gomen, just thinking," her hands clutched her bag as she looked to the Tower that was slowly creeping upon them all. Butterflies crept into her stomach, all the while a strange sense of dread was growing in her mind.

§§§~~~

"Well here we are…again," a girl near Umi's shoulder muttered as they stepped off the bus.

"Yeah," she said absently, and slung her bag over one shoulder. She just stared up at the Tower until someone grabbed her arm and pulled her away. She looked startled at the girl who shook her head and urged them all away. They laughed and bounded off, Umi straying slowly behind them.

§§§~~~

"Where shall we go first?" the teacher asked the students who smiled despite their resistance and pointed toward the observation deck. "Sounds good," she nodded, and they all headed up to the tower in a single line.

§§§~~~

"Let's go Hikaru!" they screamed and drug her up to the observation deck as others went in other directions.

As Hikaru walked onto the deck she stopped short, barely able to breathe. She was looking directly at the Magic Knight of Water, but…not really. What was going on?

§§§~~~

Fuu looked away from her classmates, and her eyes met flaming red hair pulled back in a braid. She gasped and took a small step back, putting her tiny hand to her mouth. The Magic Knight of Fire!

§§§~~~

Umi couldn't take her eyes off the girl with short golden hair set in waves. The girl adjusted her glasses and squinted at something, then jumped back. There was no way she could really be staring at the Magic Knight of Wind.

All three of them walked forward to examine each other at the same time, coming into a group. They all gasped and stepped back, then came forward again.

"You're…" they all started at once.

"We're…" Hikaru began.

"This is…" Umi stuttered.

"Real?" Fuu sighed.

"Then…" Umi tried again, but there were no words.

Before they could finish a sentence the ground was lurching beneath them. They stumbled and fell, and suddenly they were falling through a fissure in the ground. Umi began to shriek insanely, and Fuu closed her eyes tight. Hikaru just looked curiously at the ground.

"We're going to die!" Umi screamed and put her hands to her face trying not to think about it.

Fuu didn't have a chance to affirm Umi's notion though, because they had landed flat on a flying fish, and they weren't going to die after all.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you," Umi whispered and kissed the fish.

"Wow," Hikaru whispered as she looked over the scenery. "Am I dreaming?"

Umi looked up and stared in awe as well, Fuu was dumbstruck.

"It really exists," Fuu mumbled and adjusted her glasses. "I'm not crazy! It really exists!"

The other two nodded and looked at her as the fish landed at the palace, and they hesitantly got off. Their legs were shaky, but they forced them to work and go forward, and were rewarded by this.

As they entered they were met with the people they had read about; the people that weren't supposed to exist.

Hikaru just stared, dumbstruck, and Fuu blushed slightly. Umi shook her head, not able to believe it. She looked around and realized some people were missing.

"Magic Knights," Lantis bowed to them, and Hikaru shook her head, still unable to believe this was really happening.

"Glad to see your journey was safe," Eagle chimed in, and Hikaru stared.

"You're sick," she informed him, and he grinned.

"Was, but that was quite some time ago."

"What?" Fuu shook her head. "You know us?"

"Of course we know you," Ferio answered quietly. "You're the Magic Knights, destined to save Cephiro."

"I don't understand, you know who we are, but do you know us?" Fuu demanded; her voice was raised and panicky.

"No," Ascot shook his head.

"So all those things happened, but then…" Umi didn't know what was happening.

"Emeraude and Zagato," Hikaru tried their memories.

They all hung their heads. "Such tragedy."

"How were they killed?" Fuu inquired, but her words made them quiet, and she regretted them. "Gomen nasai, what happened?"

"The three Rune Gods rose to power from the earth and defeated them," Lantis clenched his fingers.

"They did what they had to Lantis," Eagle put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"So we never really existed here," Umi shook her head, still mightily confused.

"Come with us, we want to get you some food, and learn more about you," Presea offered, and they nodded and followed her through hallways that they felt that they knew, but they didn't.

§§§~~~

They sat down to a table full of food and realized they were hungrier than they thought. They looked around them in wonder at this place they knew so well.

Umi looked around and finally gained the courage to ask, "Where's Clef?"

Everyone dropped their forks and stared at her. She began to blush and put her head down, "Never mind," she mumbled and looked at her plate.

"How did you know about him?" Presea demanded, and Umi shook her head.

"It's a long story, I was hoping that maybe he could explain a little more."

"Of-of course," Presea pointed down a hallway, and Umi nodded and thanked her. She headed down the hallway, and was met by the Master Mage, or who she believed to be the Master Mage of Cephiro.

"You're not Guru Clef," she informed him.

He looked startled as he looked down at the young girl who dared to tell him he wasn't who he was, "What?"

"You're not the Guru, who are you?" she demanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he seemed flabbergasted that anyone would accuse him of not being the Guru.

"Look here," she rummaged through her bag and pulled out an issue of Magic Knight Rayearth. She pointed to a picture of the four foot tall Master Mage, not the one that stood in front of her, a good three inches taller than her and handsome to say the very least.

He laughed and picked up the book, "Yes, this was me a few years ago. I changed my form when the pillar system was abolished. What is this little book exactly?" he looked it over, puzzled.

She took it back and shook her head, "In my world, Earth, we have these. They're comics; stories that people make up and draw pictures to illustrate. It's a form of entertainment, only…this story wasn't made up. I don't know how it happened really. We're the Magic Knights, and we're in this comic, and these things happened, but we didn't have anything to do with it."

"I think that can be easily explained, Umi, right?"

She nodded, and they walked back to the table.

He took a seat at the head, and everyone waited for him to speak.

"I've summoned you all here because the world is in desperate need of saviors," he began. "We're not threatened by enemies or monsters, but after everything that's happened Cephiro seems to need something to boost spirit. There is something growing in my mind though, an unease. I feel a shadow creeping upon us all.

"That's why I called you here. As to why you're in those little books of yours…" he stopped and seemed to ponder his theory. "I think it may have been an effect of the Summoning Spell. You were put there to learn of Cephiro and to get you all together to be summoned."

They nodded in agreement, that sounded very reasonable.

"But, may I ask," Fuu began, and everyone's eyes turned to her. She blushed and looked down, "What exactly do you want us to do?"

Clef sighed and shook his head, "That's for the Rune-Gods to decide."

An anxious air swept over everyone with the mention of the legendary Rune-Gods, especially the Magic Knights.

"Do we have to revive them?" Umi asked quietly, and he nodded.

"But I think you already know where to find them, so your quest should be an easy one."

They gulped and thanked him meekly before deciding they should go to bed. They would need their strength for the upcoming journey.

As they walked to bed they talked in hushed whispers about their fate.

"This is all so strange," Fuu pondered.

"When I was summoned it seemed as if they knew us," Hikaru looked down, disappointment shone in her face. "I mean, when I read the comics."

"I know what you mean," Fuu muttered.

Umi was oddly quiet, "I think it's because they do know us."

"What?" the other two almost shouted simultaneously.

Umi hushed them with a hand and tried to put her thoughts in order before continuing, "I'm not exactly sure, but…I think they're all hiding something. I think everyone knows more than they're letting on. Don't you think it odd that the only reason they would summon us would be to raise spirit? As a morale booster? I don't know but it all seems very odd."

Fuu and Hikaru nodded their agreement, but as they settled into bed, they realized they were all too tired to care at the present moment. They dozed off and let their dreams come.

§§§~~~

"Sleep well Magic Knights," a voice laughed in the dark. "Sleep well and don't worry about your precious Cephiro, it's in good hands, mine."

*This story was inspired by a dream I had when a friend of mine and I and the rest of our school got transported to Cephiro. The dream ended with Umi meeting Clef so I'm not entirely sure what happens next. ^.^ So I guess I'll just have to keep writing and you'll have to keep reading to find out! Until next chapter! Ja ne!*