*Two things: One- I'm so sorry *beats computer then pats lovingly and proceeds to beat Comcast providers* For about a week and a half I didn't have internet, and then when I went to update fanfiction was down and I had to go to work and never got around to it. So I'm sorry about the wait.

Two- I'm working on a manuscript (as you all probably know by now) and it's nearing completion. Actually, it's finished, and I only have to edit it once more (making this the seventh or eighth read-through) and then I've got a cousin who wants to send it to publishers. The only thing is, he wants to know how my writing is. And I was wondering if some of you would write extended reviews for me? About my writing though, not about the story…if you could I'd be very thankful. My email is ddavis3955@comcast.net thanks a bunch, hope you like the next chapter!*

Chapter Seven: Losses and Regrets

"Your replacement is on her way Quies," Veneficus told her when she had been summoned to his study. She looked at him curiously.

"My replacement, I haven't felt her, odd. I was almost sure wasn't born on Cephiro, but if you are sure then-"

"It's because she's not of Cephiro," Veneficus informed her swiftly, and cruel reality dawned on Quies.

"No," she whispered. "They have paid their price!"

"Apparently not," Veneficus looked down, remembering only bits and pieces of the blue haired Water Knight. "Not one of them."

"It is Umi, I thought I felt her return though…I did not know it was for this," she didn't know if she could do it, not even for Noctis.

"She will become the new Keeper of Magic and for four hundred years she'll be your replacement. When you rise again, she'll be trained properly in the Sacred Village to await your next mistake or when you leave entirely," he sounded too calm, too casual.

"No! It isn't right!" she had never once questioned her duty, her punishments, but she questioned Umi's. It wasn't right, why should she be forced to live the rest of an eternity without the one she had been punished for? They both took punishments; she should be able to be with him in peace.

"You're right, but when has life ever been just Quies? You of all people should know what it means to be given great responsibility," his eyes looked sad. He too, bore the price of great responsibility. Quies was so beautiful; he envied Noctis. He saw beauty in the Water Knight, what little he remembered. He would have to stay away from her; he must not be tempted. Tempted, that rang something in him, but he pushed it aside. There were more pressing issues to deal with than the holes in his memory.

"What about the Magic Knights? There needs to be three of them to deal with Silvius," Quies shook her head, it was all too confusing. There was so much lying on this one decision.

"Yes, Clef will have to summon a new one, Selece will have to be re-revived. The new Knight will have to be retrained. I'm not sure Fuu and Hikaru will like that idea, but they are kind, they will learn," he was taking this too casually. It was an order of business to him, not lives at stake. She had no idea he was doing that for a reason.

"How can you do this Veneficus?" she found herself shouting, and his rainbow eyes flew up onto her.

"How can I do this?" he whispered angrily. "Don't you mean, how can you do this Quies?"

Her eyes filled with realization and regret, "I will be Cleansed," she whispered. "I will be Cleansed."

He nodded, "The right decision. Perhaps a new replacement will be born."

"Not until she dies," Quies pushed back tears and lifted her chin stubbornly. "She will live a long life, a thousand years or more, safe with the Master Mage. She will be well, that is what counts. Cephiro will not suffer another loss, she will not be made a martyr."

§§§~~~

"I am here to deliver the Knights of Cephiro to be Tested. They are not born of here, and they have not been Tested to become the Keeper of Dreams. The Keeper of Magic sent me," Clef told the Gate Keeper who scowled at him but nodded.

"You will stay outside the walls Mage," he hissed. "The other three may enter."

Clef bowed his head, and Umi looked back at him. She had awoken on the way, and now rode her own mare. She dismounted and ran to him as he did the same. She buried her head in his chest, and he looked into the gates that were screaming of magic as tears formed in his eyes. He stroked her hair and tried to quiet her sobs, but could barely manage not crying himself. This was not fair, cruel, even for Cephiro.

"I will not leave you," Umi whispered vehemently.

"You must," he answered and pulled her away to look into her tear filled blue eyes. Tears that could never fall once she entered those gates. Ever-present tears that would never- could never fall.

"What about the Magic Knights?" Fuu asked softly, hesitantly. "Surely that's an excuse to make Umi stay. There must be three Magic Knights. We must defeat Silvius."

"Silvius will fall once she enters those gates. He will stop hunting; his plot will be foiled. Even so, I will summon another Water Knight, and she will be trained and Selece will be re-revived," he answered calmly, though the tremor in his voice was slightly apparent.

"Just like I never was?" Umi repeated the words on the door to the Dragon's Den. "She never was and never will be. You don't know how you've betrayed me…"

Clef shook his head and pulled her into a tight embrace, "Umi, you'll always be in my heart. I could never forget you; I will never love anyone else."

"Nor will I," Umi laughed bitterly. "So my punishment as Keeper of Dreams is a good one. I will never be able to love anyone else. At least I won't be able to go to the Floor so long as I keep my eye on the dreams and not on you."

He pulled her chin up and kissed her fiercely, blindly. He placed hot, quick kisses all over her face and neck in an effort to kiss away her pain, and his.

The Gate Keeper slammed his staff into the ground and admitted them entrance, glaring at the two.

Clef had to let her go as she led her mare into the Sacred Village. As soon as she was beyond those gates he would never see her again. Anger and fear welled in his heart. What would he do without her? He fell to his knees and watched them go, and Umi looked back, and a silver tear slipped down her cheek. She knew it too, she knew she would never return. "Umi!" he shouted as she disappeared into the fog of the Sacred Village and disappeared beyond the magic. "Umi," he whispered, and his shoulders heaved as he sobbed. This wasn't right; this was too cruel, too much. He had done what Cephiro Willed, why were they taking her again, forever this time? "Damn you Selece!" he shouted at the skies and jumped onto his stallion as it reared under its master's fury.

§§§~~~

"I will be Cleansed," Quies whispered as she walked to Animus' house. She would be Cleansed. She would forget of Noctis, forget he existed; forget the love that burned deep in her soul for him.

She stopped at the door, her hand raised to knock. She had to do it; it was the only right thing to do. Could she live with this? Of course, her mind scolded, you won't remember it. Still, she couldn't force herself to move.

§§§~~~

Noctis stopped short when he saw her. As if a tidal wave flew over him, he remembered everything. He remembered the love they-he had for her. The love that he was sure she would never return. Then, why was she here? At Animus' door, "Quies?" his voice was hesitant. Maybe it was a dream, but then…she wouldn't send him that dream.

She spun around and closed her eyes, "Good morning Noctis," she smiled, opening her eyes, but it didn't reach her them.

"Quies, what are you doing here?" he inquired, and she grinned.

"Nothing important. Sometimes Animus and I have to talk about the dreams that I've been sending, and her not letting people remember them," she bubbled, and he shook his head.

"Are you here to be Cleansed?"

She gasped and fell back, almost against the door. She felt as if she was being cornered, but he stood a good five feet away, "Why would I have to be Cleansed?" she whispered in a very strained voice.

"Well, I just…" how could he explain the feeling? The sudden rush of knowledge? "Never mind."

She closed her eyes as he turned, "Noctis," she choked on his name as he turned once more to face her this time. "I…" her heart was pounding. He shouldn't be allowed to look at her that way, with as much compassion and concern as love and worry. He shouldn't be allowed to reach forward like a child, needing a warm embrace and arms to run to. He shouldn't be so perfect in every way. "I will take Banishment, and a replacement can be born, it's not that long," she whispered and ran forward into his arms. She buried her head in his chest and sobbed.

"Hey, sh…" he whispered and stroked her hair. He was sure she could feel his beating heart pounding heavily between his ribs. "Hey, it's okay."

"No it's not," she mumbled from somewhere under his chin. "It's not, because I love you."

He didn't want to step away, but on instinct he did. "I-" his words were choked. "I-"

"I'll leave," she whispered. "I'll leave the Sacred Village and never return. I don't care anymore, I don't want to live alone."

"And you'll never have to," he whispered finally and kissed her softly. She fell back into his arms and couldn't think of anything but the moment. "You'll never have to, I'll leave with you. Come, let us go speak to Veneficus."

The thought made her situation come back to mind, and she shook her head and began to tremble. She knew how the Keeper of Magic would feel about this; she knew that he would strongly disapprove. She would be lucky if they both didn't get sent to the Floor against their will along with Banishment afterward. "When he finds out, he'll hurt us both very badly."

"What?" Noctis inquired.

"It's the Magic Knight of Water, she's my replacement."

"No," he shook his head. "Impossible, she's not of Cephiro."

"It doesn't matter, she's it, and she's headed here right now to take the Tests. She is to become the Keeper of Dreams only-she's spent four hundred years without him. Veneficus doesn't agree with my decisions. But Noctis, I've spent a lifetime without you," tears rolled down her eyes, and as they did, she realized she would leave. She wasn't allowed to cry for love, and here she did just that. Even if she wasn't to be Banished before, she was going to be now. She had shed tears for selfish reasons.

"Let us go," he took her hand and led her toward the Palace of the Keepers.

§§§~~~

The three Knights bowed formally to Veneficus, and he bowed back, his smile was wide, and it made them nervous. Had he really been Cleansed? Why was he glad that Umi was giving up everything she loved?

Umi tried not to glower at Quies as she and Noctis stepped from the crowd, holding hands and hesitantly approached Veneficus. All the Keepers around them seemed to gasp in amazement. The three watched, perplexed. That was the reason they were here, wasn't it? Why would the Keepers be shocked?

The sudden intake of breath forced Veneficus to turn around, and what he saw made his eyes glaze over in anger, "Quies, Noctis," he murmured angrily and gazed at their interlocked hands.

Umi had a sudden desire to see the kind woman sent to the Floor, for a very long time. Four hundred years wasn't enough, an eternity wasn't enough. She wanted to see her flesh dined upon by wolves. A voice in the back of her head told her vengeance wouldn't bring Clef back, but another told her it would ease the pain. The battle raged in her head, so Veneficus' words were blurred.

"This does not look like Cleansing!" he roared, and Quies answered with a tremor in her voice.

"I-I co-couldn't do it. So I-I've ch-chosen to l-leave the Sacred Village," she held her head high despite.

"Leave?" Fuu whispered. "Why? Why not be Punished and then…"

"Because," Quies smiled weakly. "If I leave and lose my powers, a replacement will be born and trained for whatever the new Keeper of Dreams chooses. If I were to go to the Floor, I would come back and there would be no one else except for her. This way there is a chance," she tried not to look at Umi as her head snapped up.

"You were to be Cleansed," Umi whispered and thought about how she could be in Clef's arms that minute if Quies had only chosen another road. And have her abandon her love? Her mind taunted. Not even you are that selfish.

She tried to think about a few months ago when they had simply read the comics, when they weren't the Magic Knights, when these problems didn't face them. The images were blurry, the images of her eighteen years of Punishment. She remembered the emotion of trying to fill a longing with something though. She tried to cover hers up with anger and strength, a quick temper. Fuu had done the same, with quietness and diligent study. Hikaru had done it with a cheery persona that didn't echo what was inside. They had all be trying to face their Punishments in different ways, even when they didn't know they were Punishments. And now? What now? Now she was being Punished for something she couldn't remember doing. Now Cephiro was unleashing its cruelty on her.

"And I will leave with her," Noctis announced, much stronger than she had.

"Animus!" Veneficus thundered, and the elderly woman hobbled up to him; leaning on her cane nonchalantly. "One hundred years in the Floor," he growled and the power and Will of Cephiro rung in his voice.

She bowed and vanished.

"No!" Quies screamed. "It wasn't her fault!"

"But that was," Veneficus pointed to Noctis and glared angrily. He always had been jealous that the Keeper of the Night had stolen Quies' heart. "He remembered you, even after he had been 'Cleansed'," he muttered the word with disdain and pure rage. "Get out of my sight," he whispered. "If you're to leave, leave."

"We are to leave," Noctis glared right back at him and slowly pulled the cloak from around his shoulders, the one that glittered with stars.

Umi gasped as Noctis handed it to Veneficus, and Veneficus shuddered upon feeling its nothingness grip him. Noctis had taken a huge weight from his shoulders it seemed.

"Calder," Veneficus summoned a young boy from the crowd. Umi guessed he was possibly only twelve years old, or looked to be. His black eyes were the same as Noctis' though.

The boy kneeled on the ground as Veneficus wrapped the cloak around his shoulders, and as he did, he grew to a boy about sixteen or seventeen, only five or six years younger seeming than Noctis himself.

"Rise, Noctis, the Keeper of Magic," he ordered, and the boy did so, with the weight of the cloak still new on his shoulders.

The three stared in shock as Noctis turned and kissed Quies, then began to vanish.

"I'll wait for you," he whispered.

"I'll be there soon Blade," she answered, and then he was gone.

"This night will be your last as the Keeper of Dreams," Veneficus told her, and she bowed her head and disappeared into the crowd. "Come with me Magic Knights," the smile had vanished and was replaced with a grim duty.

§§§~~~

"Each of you will pass through these rings," Veneficus pointed to a large set of glowing rings. There were three total, all the same size, seemingly made of steel but glowing with power. They stood on great metal stands, but when glowing, they hovered off the metal stands.

"As I thought," Veneficus nodded. "They are glowing because one of you is the one meant for the position that is opening, Keeper of Dreams. They are ready to test you."

"How do we know which one?" Hikaru inquired. She didn't want to admit that Umi was the one. She didn't want to have to admit that another Knight of Water would have to be summoned.

"How do we know it's not you?" Fuu's eyes were sharp. What if this was a ploy? She was suspicious when she had to be, though she didn't like the feeling.

"Because a single person cannot be two Keepers. It's not possible," he made it seem like common knowledge, which made Fuu know it was the truth. "As to answer your question Fire Knight, I'll take you all out of the room and bring you back in one at a time. The one that makes the rings glow will go in."

They nodded and followed him out. There was not a spot of hope left in Umi now. One of them would enter those rings, and they would never again walk the world of Cephiro. They would never leave the Sacred Village. The thought made tears spring to her eyes, tears that could never fall.

"Magic Knight of Fire," Veneficus summoned and brought Hikaru into the room. A few moments later, the two walked out, and Hikaru shook her head quickly.

Fuu walked forward without having to be summoned, as if delaying the inevitable. She too, walked out a few moments later, shaking her head sadly. Both girls ran to Umi and hugged her fiercely.

"We'll be right here when you get back Umi-chan," Hikaru assured her, and she nodded and followed Veneficus into the room when he summoned her.

"Umi, Knight of Water."

As soon as she stepped into the room, the rings began to buzz and hum, glowing with their power. She gulped and looked at Veneficus who nodded sadly. "I am sorry," he whispered, and she smiled weakly.

"Me too, but I walk the path that was laid at my feet," his eyes widened at her words before he looked at the ground and shook his head again.

"Then you will enter the rings. Any one Umi, they all do the same thing, though I cannot tell you what they do, only the Keeper of Dreams knows. For every Keeper they are different. It will be hard Umi, some people do not come out of those rings alive, and some do not come out at all, others come out mad. Whatever happens in there, you must survive and live to tell the tale. We have no one else," his voice was pleading, then changed to formal. "You have no other choice, now you must enter the Rings of the Test and let them decide if you are worthy to become the Keeper of Dreams."

She nodded and swallowed hard to bring moisture to her mouth so she could respond, "I will do what you ask Veneficus," she knelt down and kissed his hand before turning around to face the rings. She gulped once more and wiped away threatening tears before choosing the ring on the far right and walking inside.

*This chapter kinda sucked, the next will be better, I promise. Until then, ja ne.*